


The Summit

by disaster_by_chance



Series: Dream SMP Royalty AU [1]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blaze Hybrid Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Canon Related, Creeper Hybrid Sam | Awesamdude, DadSchlatt, Duck Hybrid Alexis | Quackity, Family Dynamics, Gen, Hybrids, Knight Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu and Ranboo are Siblings, Parent Sam | Awesamdude, Puffy and Schlatt are silbings, Shapeshifter Alexis | Quackity, Twins Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, mama puffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 42,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29415141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disaster_by_chance/pseuds/disaster_by_chance
Summary: Torn by violence, by years of wars and fighting between kingdoms, the last thing anyone expected was peace. Something so unknown and foreign, like a lone flower amongst a raging snowstorm, that the idea was terrifying.But desperate for change, something such as peace shouldn’t be so bad. Right?
Series: Dream SMP Royalty AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160888
Comments: 17
Kudos: 56





	1. An Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired and encouraged to write this by some friends in discord, so here we go! I don't know if I'll finish this all the way through, but I have a lot of ideas so I'm going to try my best to push through and complete this! I'm hoping that you'll come along for the journey! I will try my best to get a chapter out every Saturday (or every other Saturday) but we'll see!

Light illuminated the circular room, reflecting off the rectangular mirror propped up in the corner, creating beams that crawled up the blue silk curtains hanging from the ceiling. The Minecraft House Crest shone dully as the beams reached its silver surface before making their journey down to the white fur blanket that barely touched down on the polished marble floor.

As the snow filled clouds slowly let the sun peak through even more, the beams shone brighter, slowly shimmering up the blankets before casting their rays on golden hair poking out from underneath the white fur blanket. 

Closing his eyes a little tighter, Prince Thesus of the Antarctic Empire, grumbled in annoyance at the new light and snuggled even deeper into the blanket until only a small tuft of his hair was visible. It peaked out like a daffodil, the one tell sign of someone sleeping comfortably under the thick fur blanket draped across a bed far too big for the young Prince. 

It had only been a few minutes of extra sleep, when Thesus was rudely awakened by someone lifting up the blanket and whispering close to his face, “Wake up, Tommy!” called the hushed voice of his older brother, Wilbur, “Today’s the day of the summit!”

Groaning, Thesus, or Tommy as he liked to go by, he rolled over and made grabby hands in the air, wanting the blanket to be draped back over him. But the six-year-old was granted no such thing. 

“Tsk, tsk,” Wilbur chuckled, shaking his head, “I’m afraid you’re not getting this back. Better just get up.” 

Making a loud noise of protest, Tommy’s arms came crashing down, bouncing a few times on the plush mattress before remaining still in an outstretched position. His eyes still squeezed shut, only slightly grateful for his tall brother’s shadow blocking out the morning light. 

“Tommy you have to get up,” Wilbur sighed, folding the blanket back. “Father wants to leave today for the summit.” 

“I don’t wanna go,” Tommy mumbled, finally speaking. 

Wilbur raised an eyebrow in amusement, “You don’t really have a choice, Tommy. We’ve already packed our bags for the trip, remember?”

Tommy let out an exasperated sigh and opened his eyes before glaring up at Wilbur. At least, he believed that he was, his eyebrows and nose scrunched up, trying to mimic the face he saw his other older brother, Techno usually had. 

“Okay, fine,” Wilbur put his hands up in surrender, “but you still need to get up and change.” He motioned to Tommy’s prince outfit that was nicely situated on a mannequin in the corner by the large mirror. 

The suit was a combination of blues with white and red. The pants were a baby blue, and the suit top as well. There was a red sash draped across from the right shoulder to the left hip that matched the red accents on the cuffs of the suit sleeves. Shiny, silver buttons lined the front white a white collar stuck out from underneath the jacket. On top, resting on the mannequin’s shoulders was a red cape lined with white fur and clipped onto the suit with golden heart pendants. Tommy hated the suit. 

“I don’t wanna wear that,” Tommy protested, looking away from the suit to his brother with distaste. His brother, still in his dark blue sleepwear simply shrugged, 

“If I were you, I’d get changed before Mum comes around to check on you.”

At the mention of their mum, Tommy’s eyes widened in realization. Making his mum mad was something Tommy didn’t enjoy. Especially not when she was so loving and caring towards him and his brothers. And an angry Mum was a very scary one. 

Seeing the fear, Wilbur grinned and turned on his heel, giving a wave, “Get ready, breakfast is in a bit! You know what to do if you need help!”

“I’m a big man! I don’t need help!” Tommy insisted, sitting up and watching as his brother walked out of his room with an amused expression, closing the large wooden door behind him, leaving Tommy alone again. 

For a second, Tommy debated falling back to sleep, but he remembered not wanting to make his mum mad. With a yawn and a stretch, Tommy climbed out of his large bed, shivering at the cold of his room. You’d think he’d be used to the cold, having lived in the Antarctic Empire all his 6 years of life, but every morning was just as cold as the first. 

Tommy slowly made his way to the outfit, taking the cape off first and tossing it to the side on the marbled floor. He took the rest of the outfit off the mannequin and shuffled over to his bed where he tossed the outfit onto.

He yawned again and rubbed his eyes when the tears pricked his vision. He wasn’t really looking forward to the summit. Even if he didn’t know what it was completely, he heard Wilbur and Techno talk about them, and they said that they were dumb. So he believed they were dumb as well. 

Sleepily, Tommy started to change out of his navy blue sleepwear and into the baby blue suit. By the end of it, he was grinning widely, proud of how much of a big man he was for changing all by himself. He didn’t need his mum’s help, or any servants help anymore! He could do things on his own! 

“Would you look at that, you can do it all on our own.” Came the gentle coo of his mother, who had opened the door at one point and leaned in the doorway while Tommy had been making poses in the mirror with a grin on his face, now awake. 

“Mum!” Tommy exclaimed, turning to look at his mother, Empress Kristen, with wide eyes, his face a faint pink in embarrassment. 

She laughed, shaking her head in amusement as she pushed herself off the doorframe and walked towards Tommy with such grace that it looked like she was floating. 

Tommy gave a nervous smile, seeing that she was already dressed and seemingly ready for this summit. She wore an elegant sleeved baby blue dress that faded into a white ombre at the tips that swirled around her like a pool of clear water, the fur lining the ends acting as sea foam as she walked. The ice-like tiara that showed she was the Empress laid neatly on her brushed and pulled back brown hair with grey streaks, bringing out her stormy grey eyes and contrasting with the emerald necklace. 

“You’re growing so fast,” she commented, kneeling down to see her son, eye to eye. She reached out and fixed the crooked emerald brooch on his chest, “If there was a way to slow down time, I would.” She teased, placing a hand on the top of his tangled locks before giving it a ruffle, making them even more tangled. 

“Stooop,” Tommy giggled, swatting her hand away. She laughed and pulled her hand away as Tommy proudly pointed at himself, “I am growing fast! I’m already six!” He held up six fingers, as if to prove his point. 

Nodding, his mum smiled, “That you are.” She sighed happily and stood up, walking over to the large dresser before she picked up a red brush that looked like it hadn’t been used in a while. With a hum, she turned and walked over to his bed before sitting down on the end and patting the spot next to her, motioning to Tommy that she wanted him to sit. 

Not really wanting to brush his hair, Tommy made a face and hesitated, but remembering that he didn’t want to make his mum angry, he slowly walked over and climbed onto the spot next to her. He sat down with a huff, his arms folded and his back facing her. 

“Thank you,” She smiled softly.

Humming a soft tune, she started to brush her son’s hair. She first ran a hand over his hair, using her elemental powers to create a light mist that would help ease the brush through the tangled hair a little better. Once the hair was stringed with dew drops, she slowly and carefully brushed through the tangles as she hummed, her hands cold as always, but Tommy didn’t mind. 

He sat as still as he could, though his feet moved a little and his hands played along to her humming on his thighs. Occasionally he would cringe in pain if she pulled a little too hard or when a tangle was too stubborn, but he bit back his remarks, remembering again that he didn’t want to make his mother angry.

“There we are,” His mum smiled softly, pulling the brush and her hands away from Tommy’s not neatly brushed hair. 

Tommy brought a hand up to his hair to gently flatten the top a bit before he turned and looked at her with a small grin,” I could’ve done it myself.” 

She raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think that’s what you mean.”

Tommy blinked a few times before nervously answering with a, “Thank you Mum,” instead as he dropped his hand down into his lap. 

She laughed and nodded, “That’s more like it.” She stood up and placed the brush back in the drawer of Tommy’s desk before turning to face him, hands folded in front of her. 

Tommy watched as soft, blue glowing lines curved up and down her hands and forearms like crystal vines, the tall tale sign that she was an ice elemental. A very common elemental in their Empire, since it was a snowy biome. 

“Now, breakfast is just about done and once your father and I make sure that the kingdom will be secure while we’re away, we’ll be on our way,” she informed. 

Tommy made a face, scrunching up his nose and frowning, “But I don’t wanna go. I wanna stay here with Henry.” 

His mum simply sighed. “I know, pigling, but your father and I really need you to come.” She walked over to him and placed a cold hand on his shoulder. “It’s a very important meeting and I’m sure a big man like you would like to give some input on decisions.” 

Tommy’s eyes widened at that and he looked up at his mum with an excited look. “What kind of decisions?”

“Uh, important ones,” She answered, smiling at the spark in her son’s eyes at the mention of him getting to help out. 

“Say no more!” He shouted, jumping up eagerly. “I guess then I’ll go.”

“Excellent!” His mum clapped, “Now let’s go eat some breakfast, shall we?"  
  
Tommy nodded violently while his mum bent down to pick up his cape from the floor, and placed it correctly on his shoulders.

“One last thing,” she hummed, gently taking the small circlet sitting in a glass case at the top of Tommy’s desk. It was made of a sparkling silver with small blue gems strung along the sides and it fit snugly on top of his head. 

The moment it was secured though, Tommy dashed off in a fit of laughter down the marbled hallways lines with lamps of slow burning blue fire. 

His mum simply shook her head in amusement and walked out of his room, closing the door behind her. 

Chuckling to herself, she followed after her son, “That wasn’t so bad…”

\---

A few light knocks on an oak door awoke Tubbo from his sleep. His dream about walking around in a room covered in bright, talking flowers had been rudely interrupted, but the ram hybrid didn’t seem to mind all that much. 

With a yawn, the young prince of Manburg sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. “Who is it?” He asked, his voice layered in exhaustion and slight irritation. 

“It’s Connor,” came the voice of Tubbo’s assigned knight. “The President sent me to wake you.” 

At the sound of his knight, Tubbo grinned a little, not feeling as angry about being woken up now. 

“Well, I’m awake now,” Tubbo shrugged, holding back another yawn. 

“Good, because you need to get ready. Today’s the day of the summit. You and the President are going to be taking quite the trip.” Connor reminded through the door. 

At the mention of the summit, Tubbo’s ears perked up and his eyes widened a little wider. He’d forgotten that today was the day he, his dad, and some knights would head to the SMP Kingdom. He didn’t know why they were going there, his dad wouldn’t tell him, but he was just happy to get a chance to get out of the kingdom for the first time. 

Excited, he gasped and quickly kicked off the green silk sheets off of him before scrambling out of his bed, nearly tripping over his feet as he hurried over to the door to tug it open. 

Connor stood in front of him, several feet taller, and decorated in his blue suit of armor with the Manburg crest embossed on the helmet he held on the side with one hand. He gave the young prince an awkward smile before coughing and glancing to the side. 

“Erm,” He muttered, “Do you want me to go tell him that you’re going to get ready?” He asked, unsure why the boy had opened the door. 

Tubbo gave a nod, “Yes please!” 

Connor chuckled at his eagerness, wishing he could be as energetic as him in the morning. “Well, get changed. Leave your bags out so we can get them loaded onto the carriages later. They’re serving breakfast so you better hurry before it’s gone.” He ruffled the top of his already messy morning hair, careful of the tiny horns poking out of the brown nest. 

Tubbo pouted and huffed, but he stayed put until Connor removed his hand and took a step back. He gave a short nod before turning and heading down the hall and leaving Tubbo alone. 

The young prince watched him walk away before he tugged on the door again, having a bit of difficulty due to the size of the oak door, but it closed thankfully and Tubbo quickly backed away. He grinned and looked around his room, finding the clothes that had been laid out for him from the previous day. 

It was the same outfit he always had to wear whenever his dad had to give a speech. A navy blue, almost black suit, with a green tie and white undershirt to go along with it. There was a green cape that went along with it, the same color of the trees that surrounded their borders, with black fur lining the ends of it. 

Tubbo sighed and dragged his bags out of his closet and placed them onto the bed so that the servants could put them in the carriage when it was time to go. Once he was done with that, he wiped his forehead changing and quickly brushing his hair, working around the two stubs that were growing out of the top of his head. 

He finished and set the brush down before he picked up a pin of the Manburg flag and placed it on his suit. Next to it, he put a pin of a little bee, a pin that once belonged to his late mother, before looking in the mirror and smiling. The last piece was the crown. A simple golden circlet with bronze painted stems that were threaded through it like vines, complete with green gems to symbolize leaves. In the middle was a red ruby shaped as a cross, contrasting with the green and brown but matching what was on his father’s crown.

Satisfied with his look, and pretty sure he had all his things packed, he grabbed the lumpy bee plush from his bed before heading to the door. 

Tubbo left the door open, so that it showed that his servants could get his bags when it came time to leave, and he headed to the dining hall. 

He hummed softly, hugging his plush close, as he walked down the stone hallways of his home. Banners hung from the walls, along with lamps of low burning fire that reflected fading shadows from the weapons on the walls as the sun started to rise higher and higher. He waved and smiled at the occasional knights who passed, or the cleaning maids and servants, earning waves and smiles in turn. 

Everyone in the kingdom adored the young prince, the friendly, kind hearted soul who was a stark contrast to their serious and intimidating king. It was such a shame the poor boy lost his mother at such a young age. 

Coming to the dining hall entrance after a nice long walk down hallways and grand spiral stairs, Tubbo was careful to avoid bumping into any of the chefs as he entered. His dad was already sitting at the head of the table, his usual spot, with a goblet in hand, his usual breakfast. 

“Tubbo!” He smiled, spotting his son enter, “I see Connor didn’t fuck up in waking you up.” 

Tubbo, unsure how to respond to that, said a quiet good morning before walking over and placing his bee on the chair next to his own. He smiled at his dad and then turned to the meal in front of him. Thankfully, he arrived just in time, as the meal wasn’t cold, nor was it still steaming hot. 

“Woah, slow down buddy,” His dad chuckled, watching as he scarfed down his food. 

His father, President slash Emperor Schlatt of Manburg, was wearing his usual suit. The silk black one he wore on normal days with a red tie and white undershirt. Gold chains connected to golden pins were strewn across his chest, over the tie, and the same Manburg pin that Tubbo wore was also pinned in a similar manner. His large golden crown sat on the table next to a plate of untouched food, it’s red ruby cross sparkling from the light pouring in from the windows. Draped across his grand wooden chair was a long red cloak, similar to Tubbo’s, but the trimmings were a white fur with small black splotches. It was the only part of his outfit that gave away that this event was something more than giving speeches or walking around the castle and making sure things were running smoothly. 

“Are you all packed and ready to go?” He asked, looking over at Tubbo from the goblet filled with a purple liquid. 

Mouth full, Tubbo nodded. Servants had helped him pack for the trip and the two week stay in the SMP Kingdom as his dad and the other Kings did what his dad liked to call “Boring old ass stuff”. 

Whatever it was though, it didn’t seem important enough for his dad to bust out the red cloak. 

“Good,” The King muttered, taking a long sip of his drink, “we leave in two hours.” 

\---

The loud patter of eager footsteps echoed across the golden hallways of the Redstone Kingdom Fortress, the home of King Sam and his two sons, Prince George and Prince Quackity. The footsteps belonged to the latter, the duck hybrid sliding to a stop in front of his older brother’s large bedroom door, his wings beating quickly as he tried not to fall over from stopping so abruptly. 

He caught his breath, a wide grin on his face as he waited, looking to his left where appeared the Prince of the Badlands, Prince Sapnap, who was here with his father King Bad. Their families had a close alliance and had decided to head to the summit in the SMP Kingdom together. 

“Hurry up!” Quackity called, ushering the other over. 

The other Prince glared at him as he finally caught up, now standing in front of the large quartz door. “It’s too early to be running, Q,” he huffed, fixing his golden crown adorned with red and orange gems, “Seriously, you act like a child sometimes. Why couldn’t we just have walked?” 

Quackity gave a shrug, his smile not fading, “It’s more fun.” He reached out and grabbed the lever by the door, pushing it down. 

Both him and Sapnap took a small step back as the sound of clicks and whirls could be heard from the inside of the walls before the quartz door began to descend into the floor, allowing them to step inside the obnoxiously large room of Prince George of the Redstone Kingdom. 

“Of course that loud-ass door didn’t wake him up,” Quackity grumbled, seeing his brother still sleeping soundly on the large bed, a blue silk blanket draped on top of him as he hugged a plush pillow in his arms. 

Sapnap walked over to the side of George’s bed, Quackity following loosely behind him. “Well if that didn’t wake him up, this sure will.” He grinned wickedly before leaning down with his hands cupped over his mouth. 

Getting a sense of what the fire elemental was doing, Quackity grinned eagerly and took a small step back and a thumbs up of approval. 

He took a deep breath before shouting a very loud, “GEORGE WAKE UP!!” right in the face of the sleeping Prince. 

They really didn’t think this through though, for the sleeping Prince woke with a start, his head slamming into the chin of Sapnap as he jolted up, causing the both of them to cry out in pain and Quackity to double over with laughter. 

“Ow! Sapnap! Quackity!” George shouted, rubbing the back of his head with a hiss, clearly annoyed. 

“Jeez George!” Sapnap groaned, rubbing his chin while he glared at the other prince, “That was uncalled for!”

“Uncalled for?!” George exclaimed, dropping his hand from his head, “You deserve that after your loud ass screaming!”

Quackity’s wheezing laugh clashed with the two prince’s arguing until the two decided that it was in fact, not funny, and yelled at Quackity to stop laughing at them. 

“Okay, okay!” Quackity surrendered, holding up two hands before wiping some tears from his eyes. “But that was pretty funny, I can’t believe you didn’t see that coming Sapnap.” 

Rolling his eyes, Sapnap dropped his hand from his chin, it finally stopped stinging from the impact of George’s large head and only only throbbed slightly. 

George grumbled something under his breath as he tried to fix his messy brown morning hair before he glared at his brother and friend, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the bright morning light pouring into the white and blue room. 

In front of him stood the banes of his existence, his annoying younger brother, Quackity, and one of his best friends, Sapnap. Both of them were already seemingly dressed. Quackity was wearing what he wore whenever he had to be formal. A white shirt with puffy sleeves underneath a blue tunic white white and gold stitching. He had black pants to go along with it, as well as black leather gloves and his small golden circlet with a red gem in the center of two blue sapphires sat around the blue cap he always wore. Sapnap seemed to contrast him completely with his black undershirt and white tunic with red and orange stitching that seemed to resemble the flames he could control. His shoulders were more defined by thicker padding while Quackity’s clothes were slimmed down to better fit the man. Even Sapnap’s obsidian black diadem with red jewels contrasted Quackity’s golden one with blue ones.

Glaring at both them and the sunlight, George spoke, “You two are such children,” he remarked, “I don’t know why you don’t grow up faster.” 

“To be fair,” Quackity stepped in, “hybrids and elementals age differently from the average human, or elf, so there’s that.” 

George rolled his eyes at this statement, “Any askers?”

Quackity glared while his brother simply just grinned smugly before yawning and rubbing his heterochromia eyes. “I’m guessing you came to wake me because we’re leaving today.” 

“Yup,” Sapnap nodded, popping his ‘p’.

Today was the day that their two families were going to begin their journey to the SMP Kingdom by request of Sovereign Eret, Ruler of the SMP Kingdom. They believed it was time to finally settle out their differences and make way for a time of peace after centuries of war and terrorism. It was obvious that the five separate rulers of the main kingdoms of the land were sick and tired of the war and Eret believed them smart enough to come to an agreement of how to work together after this two week summit. 

It had been years since the kingdoms had met up like this, and centuries since all five of them agreed to meet in the same place at the same time. As far as Quackity was concerned, he didn’t know how involved the other kingdoms were with each other. The Redstone Kingdom had always been neutral in their standings, doing their best to stay out of as many wars as possible, so he already knew that his dad had a decent relationship with just about every kingdom. 

“Ugh,” George groaned, “It’s going to be so boring.” 

“For you two, maybe,” Quackity grinned, pointing at the two others, “seeing as you’re next in line and shit. Meanwhile, I’ll get to have some fun!” He pointed at himself proudly while the other two just looked at each other in annoyance before looking back at Quackity. Seeing as George was next in line after their father, and Sapnap after King Bad, it was likely that they would also have to attend whatever meetings that were going to be held at the Summit while Quackity would get to kick back and enjoy the trip like a vacation. And if he was being completely honest with himself, the only real reason he was so excited for the Summit had to do with a hybrid ruler he’d been sending letters to after his father’s friend, a knight from the SMP Kingdom and sister of said ruler, introduced them to each other at a party. They had hit it off pretty well and Quackity was eager to see him again.

George rolled his eyes again at his younger brother, “Oh suddenly you’re not all power hungry and wanting a throne, huh?” he teased, pulling the blankets off of himself before scooting to the edge of the bed. 

“Hey!” Quackity exclaimed. 

George pushed himself off of the grand bed and walked over to his brother with a grin before tugging his cap over his eyes to which his brother shouted in protest and pulled the cap back up, yelling a, “Watch the crown!” 

George just snickered and shook his head before adding with a tease, “We know you’re just eager to see Schlatt again,” He then stretched out his arms before he walked over to his large closet. The comment made Sapnap snicker and Quackity glare at the two of them as he fixed his crown and cap. 

“Leave me alone,” he stuck his tongue out like a child, “unlike you, I don’t get to see him everyday.”

“Haven’t you only seen him at that party a few months ago?” Sapnap asked before getting a duck wing to the face and a mouthful of yellow feathers.

“We’ve been sending letters.” 

George scoffed before turning around to the other two, done with their shenanigans “Okay, you’ve woken me up, now I’ve got to change, so out you go.” He motioned them out with the shooing motion of his hands. 

“Well hurry,” Quackity said, walking towards the exit with Sapnap next to him, “because Sapnap and I are going to eat all the breakfast before you can have any.” 

“Don’t you dare.” George threatened.  
  
“No promises,” Sapnap grinned, saluting before he and Quackity took off running like they had arrived, laughing like children despite the both of them being well into their twenties. 

George shook his head and sighed, watching as the quartz door proceeded upwards and left him alone in his room in peace and quiet. 

“Finally,” he hummed, picking out his outfit for the trip. It was similar to Quackity’s, a tunic over a white long sleeved shirt. But instead of a dark blue like his brother’s, his was a lighter blue with red and white stitching and it came with a red cloak trimmed with white and black fur. 

With a yawn, he grogerly put the outfit on, saving the cloak for last, and brushed his brown hair. Satisfied with how he looked, he took his crown from its resting place in a secure box in his closet and gently placed it on the top of his head. 

It was a lot thicker and bigger than Quackity’s, as his brother’s fit around his cap like thin embroidered design, while his held more weight. While Quackity’s was more of a circlet, his was more like an actual crown. It was the same golden color as his father and brother’s, and it contained the three gems, one red in the middle and two sapphire ones on the side. 

The last part to complete the look were his glasses, specially made by his father to help his son see color all the more better. It was the only reason why he knew how golden his brother’s wings were or how crisp green his father’s hair was. He really loved it. 

What he didn’t love though, was how regal he looked in the mirror. He knew he had to be king next, but he wasn’t too sure about that idea. It seemed like a lot of tireless work that he didn’t want to do. But, on the bright side, maybe this Summit would heed something new. Perhaps the kingdoms would come to agreements on things that would make George’s time as King all the more easier. He for one didn’t want to keep waging wars.

“Well,” George muttered, looking in the mirror with a sigh, “here’s to a hope for peace.” 

\---

Eret sighed, pacing back and forth in their office as they muttered under their breath, the scraping of their grand purple cloak just a little louder than the muttering and whispering. 

In a few days time, all the families of the main Kingdoms would arrive in the SMP Kingdom to discuss terms of possible peace. 

The thought made Eret shiver in both excitement and nervousness. 

Most of the kings that Eret would meet with were no strangers to war. Unlike him and Emperor Schlatt, these kings had seen constant fighting between kingdoms for years. And though Eret and Schlatt were both new, younger kings, they still grew up during those tragic times, they still knew about the terrors of war. Eret ruled through a few years of war during the War of the Seasons and they knew Schlatt had fought as a knight through the war as well.

And though relatively peaceful now, the Badlands and the Redstone Kingdom used to be ruled with ruthless dictators before the current kings took the throne. Being a demon of sorts, King Bad had been around for a long while and would wage war on neighboring kingdoms just to have some fun. It was how he was able to expand his territory so quickly, consuming anything and everything in his path before Eret’s grandparents had to put a foot down during the Diamond War by offering information on the Antarctic Empire in exchange for King Bad’s promise to not expand any further. 

True to his word, Bad took the information and used it against the Antarctic Empire to acquire the little resources of gold and gems that they had and continued to mess with the other kingdoms in evil fun before meeting King Skeppy who seemingly brought some sense to the demon. After their meeting, the Badlands backed off from war directly and instead focused on building up their kingdom in the new territory they acquired. 

Meanwhile, the Redstone Kingdom was notorious for causing devastation and destruction due to it being ruled by Creepers, an explosive creature native to the Redstone Kingdom. They were known for being the spark to light the fires of war, destroying other kingdom’s monuments and blaming another for the doing. Several wars started because of them before Sam took the throne and vowed to try for peace, hiding his Kingdom away and watching as the others fought each other from a distance. 

But even then, the rest of the kingdoms would force Sam’s hand into war, asking for resources, asking for help, and Sam had no choice but to listen and led the kingdoms a hand or two. It was how the kingdom grew into the absolute wealthy powerhouse it is now. Even if blood wasn’t spilled on their lands, they were just as guilty of bloodshed as everyone else.

And there was no one more guilty than the Antarctic Empire. With the rise of Emperor Philza and his twin sons, the Empire proved to be a brutal force to be reckoned with. What they lacked in territory and resources, they made up in strength and warriors. 

So often they started wars in hope of expanding territories and so often would they fail to accomplish their goals in a way that was satisfying to Philza. But time and time again they started up fights and battles, usually with Philza and his son, Technoblade, at the frontlines.

Manburg, on the other hand, was a newer Kingdom. It had broken from the SMP territory and fought for independence brutally before Eret’s grandparents gave up and moved resources to fight the Antarctic Empire instead, leaving them to build up their Kingdom on their own. 

What had started out as “L’Manburg” quickly rose to power despite having such little territory. In wars they often teamed up with the Antarctic Empire, as the two shared the similar lust for expanding their territories. 

Schlatt had come to power near the end of the Great War, called so due to the magnitude of the war. All the kingdoms had been involved with it, even the Badlands and Redstone Kingdom, each of them determined not to be wiped off the map. 

Nobody said it, but everyone knew that Schlatt used the war to his advantage. He used his skills to gain power as the King, not earning the crown through inheritance, but rather through a silver tongue and perhaps a silver blade into the former King’s back. There wasn’t much proof though on the issue, but he got the throne and fought viciously in the war as a knight alongside his older sister, bringing great power to his kingdom and changing the name from ‘L’Manburg’ to just ‘Manburg’.

They were just coming out of the time of the Great War. A temporary truce had been called out between the five kingdoms, each of them too tired to continue and too low on resources to want to risk anything else. Marburg had the death of the Queen to worry about and the rest of the Kings had children to look after, as Eret believed sons had been born to both the Manburg and Antarctic Family during that time of war. 

With a sigh, they rubbed their temples, stopping in their pacing. They knew that it was risky to stop all the fighting and hope for peace after the summit, but after about a year of relative peace between the five Kingdoms, they believed they had a shot. 

For two weeks, the Kingdoms would interact and talk things out. Perhaps treaties and alliances could be made between them all after they spent that much time together. Eret had hope that things would go well, as it was a good thing that all Five Kings agreed to meet and bring their families to Eret’s castle to spend the two weeks in. 

It showed a level of trust between them. It showed that the Kingdoms trusted Eret and each other just enough to agree to this Summit without thinking that it was some kind of trap. 

“And if anything,” Eret muttered, looking up at a painting of their parents hanging behind their desk, “I’m sure they’re just as tired of war.” 

They sighed and gave a light shake of their head. Everything had to go perfect, nothing could go wrong. There couldn’t be any unnecessary tension or fighting, or another war could be well on it’s way. 

“My Majesty,” the voice of the head of Eret’s knights, Captain Puffy, pulled the Ruler out of their thoughts. 

Turning around, Eret saw both Puffy and Hbomb, the highest ranking knights, kneeling before them in silver armor. 

“Yes?” Eret asked, clearing their throat of the sounds of worry. 

Standing, Puffy gave Eret an easy smile. “We’ve just gotten word that the Kings and their families are on their way to the Kingdom. The first should arrive two days from now.” 

Nodding, Eret smiled, “Perfect, is everything in order?” 

“We’re working on it,” Puffy answered, “but I can assure you that everything will be ready by the time they arrive. You’ll have nothing to worry about.” 

Eret gave a sigh of relief, “Just what I wanted to hear. Thank you Puffy, thank you Hbomb,” the two nodded, “you are dismissed.” 

The knights gave their Ruler a salute, a fist to the chest, before turning and taking their leave out of Eret’s office.

Eret’s smile faded as they exited. Walking slowly over to one of the large windows overlooking their expansive Kingdom, Eret stood with their hands behind their back, a single hope hanging from their lips,

“You’ll have nothing to worry about…”

\---


	2. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four Kingdoms begin their journeys to the SMP, some with more difficulties than others.

“Ahh, don’t you just love that sweet sea smell?”

Wilbur took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he smiled upward with his hands extended. A few seconds later he exhaled and opened his eyes, still grinning as he dropped his hands and spun on his heel with a delighted laugh. 

The Prince turned to the side of the large ship, grabbing the sides of the railing as he grinned down into the icy waters of the Antarctic Empire. The cold, sharp wind was biting and slashing at his face as the ship sailed towards the ports of the SMP Kingdom, but Wilbur couldn’t care less. He was on the open sea and he loved it. 

“You’re going to get sick the longer you stay out here,” Gruffed the voice of his twin brother, Technoblade, who had come up to the deck by request of Wilbur. 

Wilbur turned to his brother and gave a shrug, “It’s not that bad. Besides, I’m used to the cold and you should be too.” 

Techno only rolled his eyes in response and drew the large red cloak trimmed with white fur closer to himself. 

He and Wilbur were almost matching in their outfits. Both of them wore a white fur lined cloak and warm blue, red, and white clothes underneath. However, Wilbur’s cloak was a deep blue while Techno’s was a blood red. Techno’s also connected with heavy gold chains while Wilbur’s were thin silver ones. Both of them wore matching clothes, though Wilbur’s had a red scarf tied around his waist while Techno had a belt that held his sword. The two of them also had dazzling emerald earrings that hung from opposite ears, Techno’s his right and Wilbur’s his left. And though they were twins, their appearance suggested quite the opposite as Techno’s hair had turned pink and Wilbur’s remained their mother’s brown with the occasional grey, giving it away that they were part piglin and elemental. 

Techno also chose to look more piglin than Wilbur did, the two of them able to alter their appearance in the slightest, with his ears being more pointed, his tusks more present, and his build bigger than the average hybrid or human. The only thing they seemed to have in common though was their decision to ditch their glasses for more practical contacts. 

“Aw, c’mon,” Wilbur cooed, poking his brother’s cheek, to which the other simply glared. “I know you’re not happy about making peace with everyone but at least enjoy the free vacation and nice boat ride.” 

“This is hardly a vacation,” Techno responded, “it’s something serious and you should take it a little more seriously. After years of war and fighting and now they want peace? Don’t tell me that’s not suspicious.” 

Wilbur rolled his eyes and groaned, “Really? You can’t just appreciate that they’re considering peace? Aren’t you tired of living in a constant war? I know you like fighting and shit, but it gets tiresome for everyone else. I don’t want Tommy growing up in a war like we did.” 

At the mention of their younger brother, Techno frowned. He understood what Wilbur ment. When they were born, it was in the middle of what was known as the “Hardcore Years”. It was five brutal years that were fought by their Kingdom, led by their father in an attempt to broaden their new found territory. Their parents had been at war with the SMP Kingdom and the Badlands and they had to grow up through that. 

Because they were hybrid piglings, they aged a lot faster than the normal human. As hybrids tended to age at a certain rate due to what they were a hybrid of until they reached 18. From then they would start to age a little slower, allowing them to live a lot longer than the normal human or creature.

For that reason, their father, a crow hybrid, had been around a lot longer and they weren’t even sure how old he really was. But despite however old he was, their father was still a fierce warrior and didn’t seem to tire as the years went on. And for that same reason, the two had quickly aged to the point where Techno was able to fight during the War of the Seasons and the Great War. Wilbur knew it traumatized his brother to do so at a rather young age, though it didn’t seem so as he technically was already 18. 

They had lived through the War of the Seasons and the Great War, well, more so suffered through them. And though Tommy was born a few years before The Great War ended, the two of them knew that they didn’t want Tommy to have to go through another war. Like them, it was likely if another war happened, their father would make him fight and ignore the fact that despite his son being older in terms of piglin years, he wasn’t in normal years. 

Techno sighed and looked across the vast sea covered in scattered icebergs. 

“Well, I suppose you have a point,” he muttered, “Tommy’s fragile. I don’t think he’d be able to handle war.” 

“My thoughts exactly,” Wilbur responded with a nod and satisfied smile. 

“Are you talking about me?” Busted in the loud voice of the brother they were just discussing. 

Wilbur and Techno turned to see their brother approach cautiously, as if he originally came to sneak up and scare them but changed his mind once he heard them talking about him. He stood a few feet away from the end of Techno’s cape, his hands extended like he was going to grab the cape and duct under it like he so often liked to do. 

With a chuckle, Wilbur motioned Tommy over to him, which Tommy obeyed, before picking up the slightly shorter boy’s circlet crown and twirling it around his finger. 

“Oi!” Tommy shouted, “Be careful!”

“Relax, child,” Wilbur snickered, putting the crown back on before Tommy could do something like kick Wilbur in order to get the crown back, “I’m just messing with you.” 

Tommy responded with a huff and a glare towards his older brother as he fixed his circlet, “Mum fixed my hair and now you’ve ruined it.”

“Ah, sorry,” Wilbur grinned, lifting his hands up and backing away, “didn’t know Mum fixed you all up this morning.”   
  
“I thought you were a big man, why did Mom have to fix your hair?” Techno asked, joining in on the teasing.

Tommy’s glare fixed itself on Techno as he dropped his hands from his now situated circlet. “I am a big man!” he argued, “I just let Mum help for today, s’ all.”

The twins gave each other amused looks before Techno huffed and Wilbur shrugged, figuring that they’d just let Tommy believe what he wanted to believe. 

Wilbur sighed happily and leaned against the railing of the boat, sticking his nose up into the nipping winter sea air with his eyes closed. Tommy grinned and joined him by his side, mimicking his brother while Techno shook his head lightly and stayed behind them, drawing his thick cloak closer to himself as he gazes out at the expansive sea ahead of them. 

“I just love being out on the sea,” Wilbur muttered, opening his eyes slowly to gaze out on the sea. “It reminds me of Sally. The motion of the waves, the smell of the sea salt, and the green and blue colors in the water,” as he talked, Tommy could see the longing in his brother’s eyes as if the railing was all that was stopping him from jumping into the cold water like it was the arms of his lover, “I can’t wait to see her and Fundy again.” 

Techno hummed, “Ah yes, those two.”

Wilbur tossed a glare over his shoulder at the small reaction of his brother. “You know, just because you’re from a cold land of ruthless warriors doesn’t mean you have to act like one all the time. Let loose a little, brother. It would do you some good.” 

“Yeah!” Tommy butted in, wanting to join in on the conversation, “What-What Wilbur said!” 

Wilbur glanced down at his brother and chuckled, “Thanks Big T.” He looked back up at Techno who was looking at them in a confused manner before he shook his head lightly and pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a huff, wisps of cold air surrounded him from it before slowly fading away into the mid morning air.

“Look, I understand that you’re excited,” Techno started, dropping his hand, “You want to see Sally and your child and well, this is Thesus’ first time out of our territory-”

“Tommy.” Wilbur corrected. 

“Right,” Techno muttered, “It’s Tommy’s first time outside of our territory, so I can understand why he’s excited. But this isn’t some vacation. It’s a Summit. It’s serious and we should take it as such.” 

Wilbur groaned and rubbed his temples, muttering something about twins before he dropped his hands. “Look, Techno, Tommy’s a kid. Let him have his fun. Besides, we both know that Dad is going to be the one doing the important things. He’s the Emperor after all-” he waved his hand in the air, “-you might have to attend whatever meetings since you’re next in line for the throne, but you know the rest of us are just going as support, right?”

Techno didn’t answer. He just stood there with a blank look on his face before he turned around with a dramatic swish of his cape, waving behind him as he talked, “We can continue this discussion later. I’m going to see Dad.” 

At Techno’s turned back, Wilbur made a face, sticking out his tongue and putting a hand to his forehead, wiggling his fingers. Tommy snickered at this, stifling his usually loud laughter with the ends of his cape and Wilbur grinned, dropping his hand. 

“Classic Techno,” he muttered, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to the sea, “Maybe this Summit might do him some good.” 

“What’s a Summit anyways?” Tommy asked, looking up at his brother in confusion. He kept hearing his family talk about it, but no one really explained it to him. His dad had said that it was just a meeting, Techno said it was serious business, and his mother just told him it was something he didn’t need to worry about. So what was it?

“Well,” Wilbur muttered, hand on his chin, “It’s basically a big meeting, really. You remember the stories Mum told about the great battles and wars fought between the kingdoms?”   
Tommy nodded silently, remembering. He had been born near the end of the latest war between the kingdoms, so while he didn’t know much about the wars personally, he still had an idea on what had happened thanks to his Mum’s stories. From what she told him, his father and Technoblade were ruthless warriors and war was a terrible and horrible thing. 

Blinking, Tommy frowned. Why the hell had his Mum told him such messed up shit? What kid needed to know about these kinds of things?

“Anyways,” Wilbur waved his hand in the air, “This Summit is to try and make peace. Long lasting peace, anyways. Try to put an end to all the fighting.” 

“Oh,” Tommy muttered, “Okay.” 

He still didn’t understand it all that much, but he didn’t feel like asking any further. If anything, he figured that he might learn more once they arrived. 

With a sigh, he rested his head on the rail and looked out at the sea, trying to get the same happy feelings that Wilbur seemed to get from it. He came up with nothing though and instead shivered.

Wilbur glanced down at him and smiled softly before putting an arm around him after playfully punching him in the shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about not knowing what’s actually going on,” he assured, “Techno is just being weird. This will be a vacation for us two, I promise.”

Tommy looked up at his brother before beaming, “We’ll have fun, right?”   


Wilbur nodded, “Yes, we will.” 

Techno sighed and shook his head, overhearing their conversation from where he stood, two steps down into the main cabin of the ship. 

He knew Wilbur was right. Their dad would take care of the serious and important stuff, with the help of their mother and possibly Techno himself, but there really wasn’t a need for Wilbur or Tommy to be with them. If anything, it made sense to leave them at home. Wilbur was more than capable of taking care of Tommy by himself, he’d done so for years after Techno and their dad were often gone fighting in battles. 

But still, Techno thought, they should still have a sense of duty and seriousness about them. 

He pushed aside the fact that Tommy was still pretty young. But that hadn’t stopped Techno from fighting in wars, so why should Tommy have that excuse? Even if they were entering a new possible era of peace, it was still something Techno wished Tommy would develop. After all, if Tommy continued to be his reckless self, Techno knew it would only lead to hurt. 

_ Knock, knock, knock. _

Techno lightly tapped on the oak door of his father’s office before stepping back and waiting for an answer. Within a few seconds, the door was opened by their scribe, Ranboo, a half enderling who started to work for them a few months ago. He only tagged along because Philza thought they would need him and because he had a sibling in the SMP Kingdom that he wanted to visit. 

“Hello Ranboo,” Techno greeted with a nod before stepping in. 

“Uh, h-hello, Prince Technoblade.” The nervous enderling responded, ducking his head in a bow as he stepped aside so that Techno could enter. 

The enderling was wearing a puffy white undershirt with a black tunic over it. The tunic had white stitching running up the sides and silver buttons going down the middle. He wore matching black pants and a long red scarf that was touching the floor on one end, despite the tall stature of the young boy. Around his shoulders was a light blue cloak, similar to Techno’s, but the white fur only lined the top instead of the entire cloak. Atop of the boy’s monochrome hair sat a wirely silver circlet with a green emerald at the center. He was, by no means, a Prince, but since he worked for the royal family he did wear something atop his head to show that status. 

Techno glanced around the room before his eyes caught the large raven black wings of his father. He smiled slightly before he slowly walked over, stopping a few paces away from him before clearing his throat. 

“Ah, Techno,” his father turned around and smiled at him, “just who I wanted to see.”

Cloaked in the deep rich blues of the Royal Family, Emperor Philza was a sight to behold. He wore his dark blue suit lined with fur on the ends of the sleeves like a robe, the ends of the robe matched their mother’s white ombre, giving it the illusion of frost climbing up the ends. Underneath, he wore a white shirt with dark pants with a red sash tied around his waist, a blade hitched on the side of him. Golden chains hung from his neck and a blood red cape similar to Techno’s rested nicely on his left shoulder, wary of the raven wings that stayed close to his back. Around his head was a simple silver crown, decorated with white diamonds and blue sapphires that shone brightly thanks to the light pouring in from the window the two stood in front of. Like his sons, he wore emerald earrings, one dangling lower than the other, with a small red ruby at the end of it.

“You wanted to see me, Father?” Techno asked, raising an eyebrow. 

His father nodded with a hum, “I figured you already figured out the role you’re going to be playing during this Summit.” 

“Well, yes,” Techno nodded, “You want me to be by your side during the important meetings?”   
  
“Preferably,” his father answered with a small shrug, “I know I can’t count on Wilbur to take this seriously. He only tagged along to see his family, and Tommy, well, Tommy’s still just a kid.”

“They could learn something from this,” Techno suggested, “It might do them some good.”   
At this comment, his father laughed and shook his head, surprising Techno at how lightly his father seemed to be taking this matter. 

“Oh Techno,” he chuckled, “I know you want them to take this more seriously, but there’s so much we can do. It’s better to focus on making good alliances with these Kingdoms.” His smile faded and his gaze grew more cold, “We’ve lost too much already because of these wars. I don’t think we can afford to lose any more.” 

Techno nodded, “I understand, Father. I’ll be there to make sure we can guarantee our Kingdom will be safe and able to thrive.” 

Philza’s expression relaxed a little from these words and he turned from Techno to the window again, looking out at the sea they were leaving behind as the ship traveled further north. 

“Excellent,” he muttered, “I'm glad I can count on you.” 

“Of course,” Techno replied, “I won’t let you down.”

\---

Schlatt didn’t know why he bothered to bring Tubbo on this Summit. There was nothing worse than being trapped in a carriage with the curious and talkative Prince. He was going to execute Charlie for convincing him that it would be a good idea to let his son tag along.

Charlie had said it would make for good father and son bonding time, but as far as Schlatt was concerned, he wasn’t planning on doing this Summit to spend time with Tubbo. If he hardly had time to spend time around the Prince in their own kingdom, he was sure that this Summit wasn’t going to be any kind of exception. He was probably going to have to actually focus on making for peace, or at least, pretending that he wanted peace in front of these Kings that had been ruling a lot longer than Schlatt had. 

“Buddy, don’t lean on the door, you’re going to fall out and we won’t stop the carriage to let you back in,” Schlatt scolded, reaching out and pulling Tubbo back from the door. 

The young prince was pressed against the door, gazing out the window with wide eyes, his bee plush close to him as he breathlessly watched as little huts and tall trees passed as they traveled. 

“Do you think that they have a big castle?” Tubbo asked for probably the fifth time in a span of five minutes. “Because if they’re letting all the royal families stay at the castle that probably means that they have a big castle.” 

Schlatt sighed and rubbed his temples, leaning further back into his seat, “You just answered the question for yourself. Of course they have a big castle.” 

“I bet it’s not as big as our castle,” Tubbo muttered, scooting back into his seat a bit before looking out the window again. “Our castle is ginormous.” 

Schlatt glanced at his son before looking away. Their castle was indeed, rather large. What kind of castle would it be if it wasn’t? But he knew that Tubbo didn’t know much about the other kingdoms and that their own kingdom was rather small in comparison to the others, despite being the second richest kingdom in the land. 

Plus, Tubbo was a small child who spent a lot of his time alone in the castle since Schlatt was busy with his kingly duties, so him thinking that their castle being pretty large wasn’t so hard to believe.

“How long is it going to take us?”

Fuck, Schaltt thought, here we go. 

“I’m kinda hungry so I hope when we get there we can get food.” Tubbo added, rubbing his stomach.

“It’s going to be a while,” Schlatt muttered, “I’ll let you know when we’re almost there.” 

“But can’t you tell me now?” Tubbo asked, looking over at his dad with a pout, “I’m hungry!” 

“I told you not to eat so fast,” Schlatt reprimanded, shaking a finger at his son who was sitting across from him, “Maybe you wouldn’t be so hungry if you had actually chewed your food.” 

“How are you not hungry?” Tubbo asked, ignoring his father’s statement, “All you did was drink that smelly juice.” he made a face of disgust. 

“Tubbo do you wanna go and join Connor and Charlie in the other carriage or are you going to keep talking?” 

At this, Tubbo fell silent, frowning slightly as he brought the plush closer to him. He loved hanging out with Connor and Charlie, his personal knight and the Royal Wizard, but he rarely got to spend time around his dad. Tubbo may have been young, but he was smart enough to realize that this was one of the rare times where he was going to be able to spend some time with his father, so he opted for staying quiet. 

For five minutes at least. 

“Do you think Ponk knows where he’s going?” 

Schlatt groaned and put his head in his hands, his crown just slipping slightly before he sat back up and straightened the crown back onto his head, avoiding the horns. While he enjoyed the five minute silence, he didn’t know why he expected Tubbo to follow through. His son was quite the rebel when he wanted to be, but now was not the time. Schlatt was already stressed about the whole ordeal and talks of potential peace, so the last thing he wanted to deal with was answering Tubbo’s questions. 

“Tubbo, listen, bud,” he started, “I know you have a lot of questions, but it’s better if you keep them to yourself, okay? I can’t do this right now.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed, “When we get to the castle, you’re going to have to stick around Connor and Charlie, okay? Then they can answer all the questions that you have, alright?”

Tubbo frowned, but nodded, muttering an, “Alright.” 

He looked down at his hands and nervously fiddled with them before he looked up at his father. “But I am really hungry, can I have a snack?”   


“Oh for fuck’s sake, Tubbo-” Schlatt groaned. He sighed and shook his head before raising up a hand to the window in between him and their driver, the head scientist, Ponk, and giving it a few taps with his knuckle. 

The window opened and the cheerful voice of Ponk greeted him with a “Hello!” followed by, “Is anything wrong?”

“The kid wants some food,” Schlatt said, loud enough to be heard over the sound of the horses’ hooves against cobblestone roads, “do you have any snacks?” 

It was just a moment before Ponk’s hand went through the window and presented a nicely wrapped sandwich that Schlatt gratefully took. 

“Thanks,” he muttered, sliding the window closed before turning and handing the sandwich to an eager prince with grabby hands. “Alright, there you go, you happy?”   
  
Tubbo nodded, already chewing at the sandwich with a satisfied hum. 

“Don’t get crumbs everywhere,” Schlatt muttered, leaning forward to dust some breadcrumbs that had already gotten all over Tubbo’s cloak. 

“Will there be any other Princes or Princesses there?” Tubbo asked in between bites, making Schlatt cringe at the sight. 

“Yes,” he answered, shaking his head and looking away, “There’s several princes that’ll be there and - Tubbo, chew with your mouth closed - well, now that I think about it,” he paused scratching his chin, “- there might be one boy who’s close to your age.”   
At this, Tubbo’s ears perked up, “My age?”

Schlatt didn’t know all the details, but he and Wilbur had become good friends during the time of the Great War, near the end where their kingdoms were fighting alongside each other.

As far as Schlatt was concerned, he knew that his friend had a wife and a kid, but he could’ve sworn that Wilbur had once sent him a letter or two about his new younger brother around the time Tubbo was born. He had no idea what the kid’s name was, but maybe this meant that he wouldn’t have to worry too much about Tubbo being alone during their time in the SMP Kingdom. 

Sure he’d have Charlie and Connor look after him, but the kid didn’t have any friends his age, no siblings, nothing. It was just him and his dad, and even then, Schlatt sucked at being present. So maybe taking Tubbo along wasn’t such a bad idea. 

“Yeah, think Wilbur has a little brother who’s around your age. Maybe you guys can become friends or somethin’” Schlatt grunted, doing his best to ignore the crumbs all over the floor as Tubbo finished up his sandwich. 

“What’s his name? What does he look like? Is he nice? Does he look weird? Do you think he’ll like me? Oh! Do you think he likes bees?” Tubbo fired one question after another the minute his sandwich disappeared. 

Schlatt walked right into that one. 

“Hey, hey! Slow down kiddo!” He shouted, waving his hands in front of him until Tubbo stopped his rambling. “I never met the kid, so I don’t know, you’re just going to have to wait and see for yourself, okay?”

“Okay!” Tubbo chirped, the news of a possible friend making him grin and even more excited for the Summit than he already was. 

Schlatt sighed and muttered something about needing to stop for a smoke, relieved that his son had now gone quiet, most likely thinking up all the different possibilities of his soon-to-be-friend. 

“What about Quackity?” Tubbo suddenly brought up, “Is he a Prince too?”

At the mention of the Redstone Prince, Schlatt blinked a few times before turning to look at his son in confusion. “What do you mean- How the hell do you know who that is?”

Schlatt had never told him about Quackity, figuring that he was probably too young to understand. And even then, when he first met Quackity, thanks to his older sister, Puffy, Tubbo hadn’t exactly been born yet. Since that meeting though, the two kept in touch with letters, Schlatt hoping that their relationship would benefit his kingdom. After all, Quackity was the son of the most powerful and richest ruler throughout the land. How could he not take that opportunity? And Schlatt guessed that Quackity fit the description of his ‘type’, if anyone wanted to call him out for just using him to gain more power. There was a reason why he chose him over the other Redstone Prince.

At his father’s question, Tubbo shrugged, “I saw letters in your office…” Schlatt could tell there was more that Tubbo wanted to say about the matter, but for the first time, he said nothing. Instead he remained quiet, as if waiting for his father to explain himself so that he could ask his questions afterwards. 

“What did I tell you about going through my things?” Schlatt asked, narrowing his eyes a bit at Tubbo. He’s forgotten that the boy knew how to read. 

“Well, I-I was looking for my bee plush and I thought to look for it in your office and I saw the letters on your desk,” Tubbo explained, nervously tugging on his plush’s wings. 

“Why did you think your plush was in my office?” Schlatt asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Tubbo shrugged and muttered, “I dunno…” 

Schlatt sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “Look, just don’t go through my things, yeah? I was going to tell you about Quackity eventually. I-” he stopped, “-you didn’t ask Connor or Charlie about him, did you? Or Ponk?”   
  
Tubbo’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “N-no.”

“Good,” Schlatt muttered, sighing in relief. He didn’t want Tubbo to learn about him through those three, they could not be trusted with things like that. 

“You’ll get to meet him at the Summit,” he assured, “so save your questions for later.” 

Tubbo was silent for a moment, watching his dad closely before humming an, “Okay!” and he turned his attention back to the window, counting the trees that passed. 

Schlatt sighed in relief and let his head lean back into the plush purple cushions before he closed his eyes, opting for a nap and praying that Tubbo wouldn’t wake him for anymore questions. 

The soft singing of Tubbo caused Schlatt to open one eye to look at the young prince who was quietly singing to himself as he watched the scenery zoom past as the carriage rolled on. 

Muttering, Schlatt closed his one eye and did his best to tune out his son.

It was going to be a long ride.

\---

“Jeez, this is all your stuff?”

“And? What about it?”

“It’s a lot. You know it’s only two weeks right?”   
  
“Again, what about it?”   
  
“You are ridiculous.” 

The two Princes of the Redstone Kingdom stood next to each other, watching as their servants loaded the mechanical carriages with their luggage. Quackity had his hands behind his head while George looked on with his arms folded, still confused as to why his brother had packed so much. 

“Don’t you prefer not to wear clothes?” George asked, turning to look at his brother, “Why do you have so many bags?”   
  
“Jesus, George!” Quackity exclaimed, “I have to make a good impression at the Summit! I can’t just be showing up stark naked!”

“That’s never stopped you from doing it before,” George snickered, earning a glare from his brother.

Previously in the past, Quackity had shown up to a lot of formal events in little to no clothing, embarrassing his family but seemingly not being embarrassed at all. In fact, it was such a running thing that the kingdom was already used to the Prince walking around with an article of clothing missing.

“Well, I’ve changed, George!” Quackity argued, “So there! Unlike you, I like to change up my wardrobe every now and then, thank you very much.” 

George rolled his eyes, “You’re just jealous about my sense of style.” 

At this, Quackity dropped his hands and his face started to shift until it resembled that of his brother’s. He threw his hands up and in a voice very similar to his brother’s he started to mock and tease, 

“Oh look at me! I’m George and I wear the same thing to every event!” 

“I don’t sound like that!” George scoffed. 

“Yeah you do!” Quackity answered, grinning smugly.

George groaned and shook his head, looking away from his brother who was currently wearing George’s own face. 

“You shapeshifters,” he muttered, “so weird.” 

“Hey!” Quackity’s exclamation came out a bit distorted, as his face was shifting back to it’s normal look, “that’s discriminatory!” 

“What’s discriminatory?”   
  
“Dad!” 

The two Princes turned to face their father, both of them suddenly two very good brothers with nervous smiles and hands behind their back. 

The father was currently in his hybrid form, no doubt because this would ensure he fit into the carriages better, standing several feet taller than his two sons. He looked a little more human in this form, the only thing giving away his hybrid-ness were his blacked out eyes with white pupils, the green patches on his pale skin, and the pointed ears that looked elven. 

He wore something that Quackity and George weren’t all that familiar seeing their dad in. His golden armour was worn over his forest green robes lined with gold fabric and dark green pants, something much more regal than the usual workshop outfit they were used to seeing him in. Along with that came a long black cloak that sat on his shoulders, clipped with golden chains that were strewn across his chest, his two tridents strapped to his back out of habit. He had a red sash tied around his waist, contrasting with the greens of his outfit, and he still wore the dark mask that helped filter out the redstone dust. His usual crown sat on his head though, a golden circlet that had a single red gem in the center. A simple, yet elegant design that reflected on the King’s wealth and humbleness. 

“I hope you two aren’t already getting into trouble before we leave,” he teased, folding his arms across his chest. 

The two brothers looked at each other before looking back at their father and shaking their heads. 

“Oh no, of course not!” Quackity laughed, waving a hand in the air, “Right Gogy?”   
  
“Mmh,” George nodded, “Sounds about right.” 

Sam raised an eyebrow at the two, clearly not believing them, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he chuckled, smiling under the mask as he shook his head lightly at the two. 

“Well, if you’re not getting into trouble then you should join the rest of us. We’re just about ready to depart.” Sam informed, “We live the furthest away from the SMP Kingdom aside from the Antarctic Empire, so we need to hurry if we want to arrive on time.” 

“Understood,” George nodded, Quackity joining in before the two princes followed their dad over to where the rest of the travelers were waiting. 

In front of their transportation, courtesy of the King’s redstone creations, waited the rest of the travelers. Sapnap was standing next to his father, talking to him in a hushed tone as the demon king listened. A few feet away from them stood George’s personal knight and son of their father’s close friend, Puffy, Captain of the SMP Knights. 

The man’s name was Dream and he wore the silver suit of the SMP knights with his own additional touches. Around his waist was a light green cloth and on his helmet was a feather that matched in color. At his side was his sword and leaning against his leg was a shield with the Redstone Kingdom emblem engraved on the side. His face was covered with his helmet, as it usually was, his hand at the hilt of the sword, tense and alert. 

Bad spotted them approaching and smiled, waving as they came closer. 

Despite previously being a ruthless King and a demon, the man was a rather friendly individual and one of Sam’s oldest friends. He’d taken his more human form, doing so in order to better fit into the carriages. He didn’t stand at his staggering 9’6, but rather a simple seven feet, only a few inches shorter than the Redston King. But like Sam, he wore dark netherite armor over robes more suited for more formal events. The robes were darker colors and lined with a red fabric all the way up to the hood that covered his face. The only thing visible from the dark void that was Bad’s face were two white pupils and the thin white outline of his mouth. Around the hood was a circlet similar to his son’s. It was made out of black netherite as well, with red gems engraved into it. But unlike Sapnap, his crown’s central gem was a bright blue diamond. 

“So are we ready to go?” Bad asked cheerfully, looking at the group with a smile, his pointed tail swishing back and forth.

Sam nodded, “They’re just about done loading, we should start loading ourselves.” he then turned to his sons, “George, Quackity, you two will be in a carriage with Sapnap and Dream. If anything malfunctions, which it shouldn’t, then Dream knows hot to fix it.” Sam smiled at the knight who simply nodded in reply. 

“Alright! I get the window seat!” Quackity exclaimed, pushing past his brother to climb into the mechanical carriage stationed a few feet away from them. 

“No fair!” George shouted, regaining his stance from being pushed side, “I'm next in line for the crown, I should get first place!”

Quackity responded with an ‘L’ made out of his fingers to his forehead and a very mature raspberry as he stuck his head out the carriage door before ducking back inside. 

“Is he ever going to grow up?” George grumbled, ignoring the snickers coming from his two friends. 

Sam chuckled and put a hand on his son’s shoulder, “Let’s hope not.” 

George sighed and fixed his crown, stepping away from his dad’s hand, “For once I’m a little glad I’m next in line to take the crown and not him.” 

Sam only chuckled and lightly shook his head before motioning the two others to follow George into the carriage. 

Sapnap waved at his dad before joining the rest of them. Dream stood at the door before they were all inside and stepped in, closing the door behind him. 

“Think they’ll be alright?” Bad asked as he and Sam walked to their own carriage. 

“Well, I’m sure they’ll annoy each other the entire trip, but they’re grown and will be able to manage.” Sam smiled, “And I highly doubt anything will happen with the carriage. It’s pretty reliable and efficient, if anything we’ll arrive a day early.” 

Bad chuckled and shook his head, “Of course you’d say something like that, you made these.” he ran a hand along the side of the carriage, tracing the engraved red lines. 

Sam beamed proudly, opening the door for Bad, “That just shows you that this is the best.”   
Once Bad was inside, Sam followed after him. Their carriage was a little bigger than the one their sons were in just because Sam and Bad were such tall creatures but it was a comfy one nonetheless. 

“It’s too bad Skeppy wasn’t able to come,” Sam frowned as he sat down across from Bad. “I haven’t seen him for quite some bit.” Bad sighed, sitting down, “You know how that muffinhead is. Summits like these aren’t really his thing. If anything, we might have another war on our hands if we got Skeppy involved.” The tone in his voice was lighthearted, but the mention of another war made the air tense.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck before taking out his tridents and setting them down, leaning them against one of the walls of the carriage. “Hmm, yeah, we couldn’t have that prankster hanging around talks of peace,” Sam chuckled nervously, trying to get rid of the tension that was in the air. 

Bad rested his head on his hand as he looked out the window, the carriage stirring to life before slowly lurching forward. 

“Hopefully he doesn’t do anything stupid back at home,” Bad muttered with a sigh. 

Sam leaned back in his seat, fiddling with a little device he brought to work on during the trip. “I say you just trust him. And if anything, if this Summit goes well, we won’t have to worry about another war for quite some time.” 

Bad nodded and smiled, looking over at his friend. “I would like that. It would make me feel a lot better when Sapnap eventually takes the throne.” He turned his attention back to the window, “I don’t doubt him as a King it’s just he’s...a little headstrong.” He chuckled nervously, “A little stubborn and too over confident.” 

“Well,” Sam chuckled, knowing this all too well, “It’s not that bad of a trait for a king to have. But I understand what you mean.” He sighed and put the trinket down. “I don’t know if George would be able to handle himself as a King during a time of war. Quackity might, but he’s also like Sapnap, headstrong and stubborn.” 

Bad laughed and nodded, also knowing too well how Quackity was, “It’s a shame we couldn’t get them together.” 

Sam laughed, shaking his head, “I don’t know how far they would’ve gone with personalities so alike.” 

“Mmm, well opposites attract,” Bad smiled. 

Before the Summit, a few years, maybe two, ago Bad and Sam had tried to form an alliance through a marriage between Sapnap and Quackity. They thought they were good enough friends, and they were, and that it might do their kingdoms some good. If anything, it just strengthened the alliance between the Redstone Kingdom and the Badlands. 

However, neither party seemed to be interested in the idea. Sapnap had insisted that he didn’t want to marry Quackity to his dads and Quackity had done the same to Sam. The parents didn’t want to push it all that much and decided that they would just leave it and wait for another opportunity. 

Then after that, Sam tried to strengthen his relationship with the SMP Kingdom with Quackity and the current ruler, Eret. At first, things seemed to work out, but Quackity got reckless and what started as a prank snowballed almost into another conflict so Sam quickly had to put an end to that. 

The creeper king was unsure why his son had let things get so out of hand and was a little worried about how his son felt about returning and being around his ex-fiance again. Part of him thought Quackity wouldn’t want to join them on their journey and stay back at home, but he seemed really excited and eager to tag along. 

Now, Sam didn’t know why he insisted on coming along, but he had his suspicions. 

“So you haven’t told Dad about you sending letters to Schlatt?” George asked, raising an eyebrow at his younger brother who was sitting across him and leaning up against Sapnap. 

“Hell no,” Quackity responded, “No more than Sapnap has told his dads about whatever stable boy he’s been hanging around.” 

“Hey!” Sapnap exclaimed, turning his head to glare at Quackity. “Not a stable boy! A bard! There’s a difference.” 

Quackity shrugged, “Whatever man, I’m just saying.” 

George rolled his eyes, “You two are ridiculous.” 

The knight sitting besides George snorted, “That’s like the fifth time you’ve called them that this morning.” 

“He has such an extensive vocabulary.” Quackity teased, batting his eyes at George. 

“Oh shush,” George leaned over to smack Quackity’s shoulder before turning to Dream, “I thought you were on my side!” 

Dream laughed, “Oh sorry, your highness.” 

“You are all out to get me,” George muttered, “I swear, I’m going to go sit with the actual adults the next time we stop.” 

“Hey! We’re adults!” Sapnap argued, Quackity nodded in agreement.

“Barely,” George retorted, despite that not being the case. 

“I’m old enough to do your mom!” Sapnap replied smugly, only getting a response from Quackity who went, “OOOOOH!” 

George put his head in his hands and groaned while Dream covered his mouth, doing his best not to laugh. 

“Sapnap, you nimrod, none of us have moms!” George fired back, making Dream laugh even harder and making the other two go silent. 

“Oh yeah,” Quackity muttered. 

Sapnap went red in embarrassment, “Oh, well, I mean-”

Dream shook his head and took off his helmet to wipe a tear, “Oh man, I can’t believe you didn’t make that connection.” 

“Yeah, Dream’s the only one with a mom, dummy.” George said, lifting his head from his hands. 

Sapnap shifted around in his seat, “Well, I’m not going to say anything about Dream’s mom.” He muttered, glancing around. “I know her.” 

Dream grinned, setting his helmet in his lap, “Oh yeah, you better not say anything. I’ll tell her then when we get to the SMP Kingdom.” 

“That’s exactly why I didn’t say anything about your mom!” Sapnap exclaimed, pointing a finger at the knight. There was no way that Sapnap would say anything about Puffy. Not only was she super nice but she was also the highest ranking knight in Ruler Eret’s army. He did not want to mess with her.

“Sounds like it’s going to be some reunion once we get there,” George muttered, leaning against the wall, getting comfy to take a nap, no doubt. “Dream’s going to see his family, Quackity you’ve got, Schlatt, I guess-” George didn’t feel like mentioning the fact that Eret was going to be there as well, for Quackity’s sake. Even if he didn’t act it, George knew that the whole ordeal had shaken up his brother. Not many people almost start a war and feel good about it. 

“-and Sapnap,” George turned to his friend, “you have that bard or whatever, right? He lives in the SMP Kingdom, doesn’t he?”    
  
Sapnap nodded, “Yeah, that’s where he stays…” 

“Oh thank goodness.” George grinned, “Looks like I’ll finally have some time to myself and won’t have to worry about hanging around you three nimrods.” 

“Hey!” They all protested, making George snicker in amusement. 

“Just for that,” Quackity started, “I’ll make sure to annoy you extra.” 

“Suuree,” George hummed, closing his eyes before yawning. 

“Wake me up if we stop or if we get there,” George said, “And if Sapnap or Quackity try to do anything while I’m sleeping, Dream, you know what to do.” 

And with that, the Prince drifted off to sleep while the knight grinned at the other two, the three of them quietly confirming that they were all on the same page and George was more than likely going to have a rude awakening.

\---

Captain Puffy paced down the halls of Eret’s castle, muttering to herself as she walked. LIke Eret, she too was nervous about the outcome of the Summit. On one hand, they could work out peace, and on the other hand, they could just be fanning the old flames of war again. And seeing as she would be fighting on the front lines, being the Captain of the knights and all, she wasn’t looking forward to the possibilities of another war. 

Not only that, but she didn’t like the idea of Dream fighting in another war. He had his fair share fighting alongside her during the Great War but she preferred him to stay acting as a personal knight to her friend’s son. It was at least a lot less dangerous than fighting in a war. 

Puffy had spent most of her life fighting. She grew up on a pirate ship and everyday was a fight for survival. She had to be the absolute best, fearless, ruthless, cunning, and adventurous in order to ensure that she wouldn’t lose her footing on life. 

Then when she had to start thinking about the well-being of her family, her young brother Schlatt and newly adopted ducking Dream, she had to fight for their safety and gave up on the dangerous life of a pirate. But Puffy loved action, she loved the thrill of risky situations, so she became a knight and her family followed in her footsteps. They fought alongside each other in a few wars and little battles during their time for the SMP Kingdom before most of their fighting occurred between brother and sister.   


Puffy loved her brother, she did, but he was far too power hungry and they had to depart ways. Now he was not only a King, but a father as well, and Puffy was going to see him and his son for the first time since they parted ways several years ago. 

So not only did she wish for peace between kingdoms, but she also hoped that she would be able to make peace with her brother as well. 

Sighing, Puffy stopped at the large stone decorated door of Eret’s office. She fixed her red uniform, smoothing down the sides, before knocking twice and opening the door. 

When she stepped inside, Eret was sitting at his desk, his fingertips touching and his head bowed. His white fur lined golden crown with blue, purple, and pink gems rested on the desk next to him and the cloak of the same colors of the gems rested on the back of his wooden chair. 

“My Majesty,” Puffy announced her presence while kneeling and bowing her head as the door closed behind her. 

Eret’s head slowly rose and he opened his pupil-less eyes to look at his knight with white void eyes. 

“Puffy,” he smiled, “you may stand.” 

The knight gave her thanks and stood up,   
“I just came to inform you that everything is in order. The rooms for the guest have been cleaned, the arrangements for the meetings are in order, the ball rooms have been organized, and the citizens have been informed about the event as well.”

Hearing this, Eret let out a sigh of relief, “This is wonderful, thank you.” 

Puffy nodded, “And there’s no reason to worry about security. I’ve made sure that nothing will go wrong under my command.” 

Eret laughed, leaning back in his chair, “I thought so, that’s why you’re the Captain of the Royal Guard.” 

“Aw shucks,” Puffy bleated with a grin, “You know I want this to go as well as you do. Peace would be a nice change.” 

“Yes,” Eret nodded with a sigh, looking down at his desk, “Peace would be nice…” 

There was a quiet pause between the two friends. A tension of pondering possibilities surrounded them and made both of them shiver in distaste. 

Clearing his throat, Eret sat up straight, putting his previously folded foot down on the floor. “How’s your family?” He asked, extending a hand, trying to change the subject. 

At this, Puffy perked up and smiled, grateful for the small talk. Eret was one to always try to be engaged with his knights, castle hands, and subjects. It’s what Puffy admired about him as a ruler. 

“Well, I’ll get to see them again,” She chuckled, “Dream will be arriving with the Redstone Kingdom and the Badlands, but I’ve been sending him letters since I sent him away so it won’t be such a big deal. It’s my brother who I’m worried about.” 

“Schlatt?” Eret asked, arching an eyebrow. 

Puffy nodded, “Mmh, I haven’t talked to him for years since we fought.” She frowned and sighed, “But I hope I’ll get the opportunity to make up for the lost time. Plus,” her smile came back, “I have a nephew to meet!” 

Eret chuckled and nodded, “Well you’ll have the opportunity to do so, I’ll make sure.” 

“Thank you,” Puffy bowed her head. 

“No worries, I know this will be a reunion for some,” He smiled, waving his hand in the air, “How about Nikki? How’s the bakery doing?”

“Better now,” Puffy looked up, “She had been feeling a little under the weather recently but she’s feeling better,” she nodded, “just in time too. Ranboo is coming to visit her.” 

“I don’t think I’ve met him yet,” Eret muttered, “Half brother, right?”

“Step,” Puffy corrected, “but yeah, he’s coming with the Antarctic Royal Family.”

“Oh,” Eret mumbled, “So it will be quite the reunion then.” 

Puffy nodded, “Yes sir.” 

Eret sighed and rubbed his temples, “I just hope this works…” 

Puffy’s smile faltered, but ever the optimist she walked around Eret’s desk and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, 

“Hey, just getting this together is enough.” 

Eret looked up at her and shook his head, “But what if this just creates another war? Bringing them all together in the same place? It’s bound to get tense, I don’t-” he took a breath, “-I don’t want any more blood on my hands.” His voice went quiet as he looked down at his trembling hands. 

Puffy frowned and sighed, getting what Eret ment. 

“I understand,” she muttered, giving his shoulder a squeeze before drawing away, “but we should just have hope. Things could get better as a result of this.” 

Eret fell quiet, pondering as he silently traced a finger over the gems in his crown.

“I guess,” he spoke, “I guess having a negative attitude towards it won’t do us any good.”    
  
At this, Puffy grinned and playfully smacked Eret’s shoulder,

“That’s the spirit!” 

Eret chuckled and rubbed his shoulder, “Thank you Puffy, I don’t feel so nervous anymore.” 

Puffy shrugged her shoulders and grinned, “In another life I would’ve been a therapist, but my duty’s to this kingdom.” 

“And I greatly appreciate it,” Eret smiled.

Puffy returned the smile before slowly backing up with the clap of her hands. “Well! I’ll leave you with organizing the last bits of things. The first kingdom to arrive should be Manburg, so I’ll make sure to get them settled once they arrive tomorrow.” 

Eret nodded, watching her leave,  “Sounds good. I’ll be sure to join you in welcoming our guests. Thank you again, Captain Puffy.” 

“Of course,” Puffy bowed, pushing the door open with a hoof before existing. When the door closed behind her, both parties on opposite ends sighed and shook their heads. 

“Right,” Eret muttered, “positive mindset.” 

“Good vibes,” Puffy exhaled as she walked back from where she came, “This will bring about a new era of peace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the read!


	3. Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kingdoms finally arrive at the SMP Kingdom. Some introductions ensue.

Tubbo carefully leaned over his seat to poke his father in the face. He did it gently at first, afraid of what would happen if his father woke up, but when it didn’t work, he huffed and poked him again, a little harder this time. 

When his dad responded with a gruff, “What?” but didn’t open his eyes, Tubbo poked him again. 

“Wake up,” he insisted, holding his plush tight, “Wake up!” 

“Okay, okay!” Schlatt exclaimed, opening his eyes and waving a hand in the air to swat Tubbo’s own away. “I’m up, I’m up! What do you want, kid?” He asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. 

Tubbo smiled proudly before leaning back in his seat and pointing out the window, directing Schlatt’s attention to the outside.

“We’re here,” He said. 

Schlatt blinked before slapping a hand over his forehead, “Already?!”

Tubbo snickered at this and nodded excitedly, “Yup!”

Sure enough, their carriage was approaching the entrance of the SMP Kingdom’s castle. The border was made completely of smooth stones, keeping the common folk out of the property of their ruler. Schlatt and Tubbo both gazed in wonder out of the window as they approached two large oak doors decorated with vines opened for them and swiftly closed behind their last carriage. 

“Jeez,” Schlatt muttered, rubbing the back of his neck before flopping back down into his seat. He glanced out the window before letting out a quiet, “Tch,” as he fixed his crown. 

Tubbo, on the other hand, stayed glued to the window. His hands and cheek were pressed up against the glass pane as he awed at the sight of the castle coming into their view. 

The closer they got, the bigger it seemed until it loomed over Tubbo like a stone dragon decorated with colorful flags and banners that had little to no meaning to the young prince himself. 

“Wow,” Tubbo muttered before finally prying himself from the window. He looked at his dad with a pout, “Their castle is bigger than ours.” 

Schlatt gave a small chuckle and shrug in response, “Well, that happens sometimes. People are always going to have something bigger and better than what you have. That’s just life. Better to learn it now than later.” He frowned at the end of his spiel before shaking his head, his left ear twitching. 

Tubbo tilted his head slightly, about to ask him what he meant by that before he was stopped by the slowing and eventual halt of the carriage in front of a large set of marbled stairs. He turned to look out the window and spotted the figure of two individuals at the top, one a lot taller than the other. 

“Well, we’re finally here,” Schlatt muttered, standing up. He smoothened his suit and grabbed his cloak, clipping it on. “Don’t speak, okay?” Schlatt instructed, looking down at his son, “Only talk if you’re asked to.” 

“Why?” Tubbo asked.

Schlatt sighed, “Because I said so, okay?” He grabbed Tubbo’s cape and adjusted it on him when the door opened.

“Remember what I said,” Schlatt muttered, side-eyeing him before stepping out of the carriage, giving Ponk a nod of thanks. 

Tubbo frowned, he didn’t really know why his dad didn’t want him to talk, but he figured it would do him good to listen. So, silently, he stepped out of the carriage, giving Ponk a small smile of thanks, before he stood behind his dad, plush in hands. 

Ponk closed the carriage door behind them and Tubbo’s eyes widened at the full sight of the castle. Now that it was right in front of him, it seemed a whole lot bigger. Gulping, Tubbo moved closer to his dad, grabbing the back of his cloak, suddenly he didn’t mind not speaking. 

“Tubbo, let go,” Schlatt muttered, glancing back at him. He understood that Tubbo was scared, but he really couldn’t have the six-year-old holding onto the cloak the entire time. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally trip or choke because Tubbo was holding onto it. 

Tubbo looked at him and frowned before reluctantly letting go. Schlatt’s shoulders relaxed and he exhaled, “Right. Let’s just get this fucking over with.” 

He started up the stairs with Tubbo following closely behind him, almost stepping on his cloak as he did so. Tubbo occasionally glanced back at Ponk, wondering if he was going to follow, but only got Ponk making a ‘shooing motion at him, encouraging him to follow his father up the steps. 

“Emperor Schlatt, welcome to the SMP Kingdom!” The deep voice of the taller person boomed, startling Tubbo and making him snap forward, his attention now on the two people in front of him. 

The person who had just spoken was undoubtedly the ruler of the Kingdom. They wore a large crown lined with spotted black fur and colorful gems atop a head of unruly light brown hair that fell over whited-out eyes. If it weren’t for the ruler’s bright smile, Tubbo would’ve been afraid of the sight. The person was extremely tall and had slightly pointed ears that made Tubbo think that the ruler was an elf of some sort. The eyes did seem to give it away that they were. They wore a long cloak, red like Tubbo’s dad’s, that was lined with fur similar to their crown. Gems hung from their pointed ears and lined their neck. Their shirt was white with puffy sleeves that remind Tubbo of clouds, but their pants were black and they wore a red sash around their waist. 

All in all, this person was quite the sight, and Tubbo couldn’t help but stare with his mouth open. 

“Eret,” Schlatt acknowledged, bowing his head slightly.

So that was the ruler’s name?

“Several years later and you’re pretty much the same, huh little brother?” 

The new voice got Tubbo’s attention and the young prince turned to see the person standing to the left of Eret. This one was a knight, shown by the armor that was similar to Connor’s. Instead of blue, it was a silver suit and she wore a brightly colored sash around her waist that seemed to match the banners around the castle.

She had puffy white hair with colorful patches here and there, that reminded Tubbo more of clouds than Eret’s sleeves, and it was tied back in a small bun. She had a bright smile, despite teasing his father, and Tubbo squinted to realize that she had horns and ears just like his father and him. 

Then it occurred to him that the lady referred to his father as ‘little brother’ and Tubbo’s eyes widened even more, as did his gaping mouth. 

“Puffy,” Schlatt’s voice was strained, his jaw clenched and shoulders tense. 

The hybrid, Puffy, seemed to be a little more relaxed than his father, but he could tell she was also tense because her ear was twitching like his fathers did whenever he was angry.

Tubbo knew that he was told not to talk, but he was confused and wanted answers. He looked up at his dad and reached up, grabbing his sleeve and giving it a tug to get his attention, 

“How does she know you?”

Schlatt sighed and looked down, frowning, “I thought I told you not to talk.” 

Tubbo pouted and looked at Puffy, “Who are you?”

Puffy laughed at this and took the few steps forward towards Tubbo before kneeling down. “I’m sure your father hasn’t told you, but I’m your aunt.” She held out a hand, “Nice to meet you.” 

Tubbo eyed the hand, his eyes narrowed, not sure if he trusted her or not. 

Schlatt sighed and put a hand on Tubbo’s shoulder, “Tubbo, this is Puffy, Puffy this is Toby or Tubbo. Tubbo, Puffy is my older sister, Puffy, this is my son…”

“Ah, I thought so,” Puffy smiled, “You look a lot like your dad.”

Since his father confirmed that the woman was family through the introduction, Tubbo felt obliged to move her hand away and attack her with a headbutt of a hug. 

“Woah!” She exclaimed, nearly losing balance from the force. 

Schlatt frowned, looking away with the slight shake of his head while Eret just looked on with a smile. 

Puffy looked down at Tubbo before smiling and returning the hug before he pulled away. 

“I like this kid,” Puffy commented, standing back up.

“You two would probably get along,” Schlatt muttered. 

Puffy looked up at Schlatt and smiled softly, “It’s good to see you, Schlatt.” 

That seemed to get to him because he smiled just a little before clearing his throat and nodding silently at his sister,    
  
“Yeah, you too…”

“Well, I’m sure you had a long journey and would like to get settled in,” Eret clapped their hands together with a cheerful tone, “Puffy here will guide you to your rooms for your stay.”    
  
“Can I share a room with my dad?” Tubbo asked, turning to look at Eret. 

“Tubbo-” Schlatt started. 

“Well, there are enough rooms for you to have your own. Wouldn’t you like that?” Eret asked, getting the impression that Schlatt didn’t want to have to bunk with his son.

Tubbo frowned and shook his head, “I want to be with my dad.” 

“Buddy, you sleep just fine on your own back at home, why can’t you-”   
  
“But this isn’t home!” Tubbo complained, looking back at his dad with a pout. 

Schlatt groaned, but because he didn’t want to be a dick in front of the Ruler of the SMP Kingdom and his sister, he gave into his son’s antics. 

“Fine,” he muttered, “we can share.” 

Tubbo beamed, triumphant. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure the room is big enough for the two of you.” Eret smiled, finding the young prince to be amusing. “Puffy, would you?” They asked, turning to the knight.

She nodded, “Of course your Majesty!” 

“Actually,” Schlatt piped up before anyone could move, “Do you have a wine cellar by any chance?”   
  
Eret and Puffy’s expressions both faltered as they glanced nervously at each other from the question. 

“Well yes, but-” Eret hesitated before getting interrupted. 

“Perfect,” Schlatt grinned, snapping his fingers together, “I hope you don’t mind, but I need to head over there as soon as possible.” 

Puffy sighed and shook her head at this. 

“Oh, uh,” Eret frowned, “I could have someone direct you to-”   
  
“Nah, it’s fine,” Schlatt insisted, already walking past them, “I have a general idea of where these fuckers are. I’ll be fine.” 

And with that, he turned his back and headed into the castle. 

“Oh boy,” Puffy muttered, rubbing her face. 

“That was, uh, that was a rather interesting introduction,” Eret laughed nervously before clearing his throat, 

Tubbo looked between the two, unsure if he should take off and follow after his dad or not and stay with these two almost strangers instead. But when his newfound aunt looked at him and smiled sweetly he decided to stay. 

“Anyways,” Puffy drawled, “Shall I show you to your room then, Prince Tubbo?” 

The boy nodded eagerly, “Yes please!” 

“You brought some members from your kingdom, right?” Eret asked before Tubbo and Puffy could embark on their journey. 

“Mmmh,” Tubbo responded, “Ponk, Charlie, and Connor!” 

“Excellent,” Eret grinned, looking out at the three men standing outside the carriages parked in front of the stairs, “I’ll be sure to get them settled. It was lovely to meet you Tubbo.” 

Tubbo smiled up to the tall Ruler, “It was nice to meet you too!”

“Now if only Schlatt had manners like you,” Puffy chuckled, causing Tubbo to tilt his head in confusion, “Well, c’mon now kiddo! An adventure awaits!” 

She held out her hand, which Tubbo gladly took, and the two-headed into the castle as Eret walked down to talk with the men Schlatt had brought along. 

They first met with Ponk, who they gave directions to the stables where he could leave the horses to rest. Then they chatted with the knight, Connor, and the wizard, Charlie, before directing them on to where they would stay. 

Charlie would go with Ponk to make their livings in the town inn, all paid for by Eret, while Connor would stay on castle grounds in the knights’ quarters. 

Once that was settled, Eret took to the castle entrance and stopped a knight at the front to inform them of Schlatt’s presence just as a precaution. 

“Right,” Eret muttered to themselves as they watched the knight walk off towards the direction of the wine cellar in search of the Emperor, “One kingdom down, three more to go…”

\---

It was later in the day, several hours after the arrival of the Manburg Kingdom, near dinner time when Eret was notified about the Redstone and Badlands Kingdoms’ approach. 

At this point, Schlatt had been redirected to his room after a drink or two from the wine cellar and Tubbo had gotten a complete tour of the castle by Puffy with Connor and Charlie, who had later tagged along after catching them in the gardens. 

When Puffy was needed to greet the two kingdoms, she left Tubbo with the knight and wizard, informing them that they could eat dinner in the Grand Hall or rest up for the night. The three had looked to each other and thanked her for the tour before unanimously deciding to head to the Great Hall and eat. 

Puffy soon arrived back at Eret’s side, the two of them standing on the top of the stairs, gazing out over the paved road leading up to the entrance as the sun started its descent into the earth. 

“Manburg all settled in?” Eret asked once Puffy stood at attention next to them. 

She gave a nod, “All settled in, Your Majesty.” 

“Ah, good,” Eret sighed, “And what about-”   
  
“Oh, I think Schlatt’s still mad at me. The big guy will probably do his best to avoid me during the time that he’s here, but that’s just sibling behavior.” Puffy chuckled lightly with a shrug. “But at least Tubbo likes me.” 

“He seems like a good kid,” Eret smiled. 

Puffy nodded, “He is, I can tell that he is. Seeing him reminded me how badly we need this peace. Whatever happens, I don’t want Tubbo to have to go through the terrors of war.” 

Eret frowned a little before nodding in agreement, “Yes, we must make sure to prevent that. He probably already has a troubled past and home life.” 

Puffy stayed silent, making no comment. Truth be told, she didn’t know how his past was, or how his home life was. But from what she knew about her brother, what she just witnessed from him, she could tell that it wasn’t exactly the most positive environment. Bless Tubbo though, for making the best of it. She knew she hadn’t been involved in Tubbo’s life as much as she would’ve liked, as maybe she could’ve been of some assistance, but things were difficult. 

Tubbo’s question of why hadn’t his dad mentioned Puffy to him during their tour kept replaying in her head over and over again, but since it wasn’t her question to answer, Puffy had shrugged it off and carried on with the tour. 

“Chin up,” Eret’s voice broke her out of her thoughts, “our next guests are here.”

Two automated carriages pulled into view, both decorated in gold and red rubies, showing that it couldn’t be anything other than the wealthy and aesthetically pleasing Redstong Kingdom’s creations. 

If anything, Eret felt the most comfortable with them and the Badlands. The two kingdoms had been relatively peaceful for the past couple of years and only indirectly supported the war efforts by giving other kingdoms resources. And though they came from terrifying rulers, and were such at one point in history, Bad and Sam were both good, friendly individuals who cared about their citizens. So discussing peace with them shouldn't be much of a problem. 

However, it did make their stomach churn a bit at the idea of seeing Quackity again. It wasn’t that they had any ill-related feelings towards the Prince or what he did, and almost caused, but seeing an ex was always unpleasant. They just hoped things weren’t as awkward. 

The carriages came to a stop in front of the end of the stairs and the doors clicked open with a small hiss, letting their guests step out into the gradually cooling air. 

From the first carriage stepped out the tall figures of Kings Sam and Bad. From where they were standing, Eret felt a lot better about wearing their boots with the platform heels. Even though they were already pretty tall, being elven and all, the hells gave them a little more height so it would be easier to see eye to eye with the two intimidatingly large Kings 

Then from the second carriage piled out the four loud, bickering young men who seemed to be in the middle of a very animated conversation. 

“Oh boy,” Puffy chuckled with the slight shake of her head at the sound of them, “Here we go…   


“You absolute nimrods!”   
  
“That’s what you get for sleeping!”   
  
“Dream, you were supposed to do something to prevent them from doing this, not join them!” 

“Sorry your highness, I promise they won’t do this again. It was just this one time.”    
  
“Thank you Sir Dream for your service!”

“I swear to the Prime God I’m going to-”   
  
“Boys!” Sam snapped at them, making all four quickly shut up and stand up straighter with wide eyes. 

Sam’s expression softened a little and he smiled under his mask, “Perfect! Thank you.” 

“Dad,” George muttered, “Quackity and Sapnap-”   
  
“I know they inked your face,” Sam sighed, motioning him to walk forward towards him. George walked over and Sam pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and lifted up George’s glasses so that he could rub off the ink markings on George’s face a little easier. Quackity and Sapnap snickered at this before being promptly stopped by a glare from Bad. 

“There,” Sam muttered, pulling away, “you can still see it a bit, but it’s not as bad as before.” He sighed and looked at the others, “Now, you guys better behave better. I expected more from you all. You’re not kids anymore.” 

The disappointment in his voice made them drop their heads in shame. 

“Sorry Dad,” Quackity muttered.

“Our bad, sir.” Dream and Sapnap frowned. 

“Well, no need to frown, just keep it in mind for later. It’s not that you can’t have fun,” Sam chirped, as he was known by close friends to be quite the nuisance of a troublemaker, “but first impressions are key.” And with that, he turned around and headed up the stairs with Bad. 

Standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs, the four friends looked amongst each other before George glared at his brother and friends before tapping the top of his glasses and letting them fall back into place. Then with the dramatic swish of his cloak, he followed after the two Kings up the marbled stairs. 

Dream just chuckled, muttering a “Drama Queen.” before following after George. 

Sapnap and Quackity both looked at each other, breaking out in grins and high fived before they hurried after the others, giggling. 

“Welcome everyone!” Eret smiled, extending their hands out and giving a small bow, “So glad you could all make it.” 

“Eret! Thank you for having us,” Sam returned the bow, as did Bad and their kids. 

“I, uh, assume you had a good journey here?” Eret asked, glancing back at the Princes and knight with a smile. 

“Some more than others, apparently,” Sam chuckled. 

“Oh, I can’t wait any longer!” Puffy bleated, throwing her hands up into the air, “Let’s skip the formalities for now, please? I haven’t seen my son in ages-” 

The knight proceeded to ram her son with a hug, playfully headbutting him in the chest with her horns as she did so. 

Dream laughed and did his best not to fall over at the impact, as he hugged his mom with a wide grin. 

“It’s so good to see you!” She grinned, pulling away to look up at him, “You’ve gotten so much taller!” 

“Nah, it’s just those boots,” George teased, talking before Dream could, pointing at the heels in Dream’s boots.

Puffy laughed and reached out to pat George’s slightly black and red cheek from the ink and rubbing. 

“It’s good to see you, Prince George. I hope Dream here is taking care of you.” She wiggled her eyebrows and nudged Dream with her elbow. 

“Well,” Dream rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. 

“Yeah, about that” George smirked and folded his arms across his chest, “I just might have to ask for another knight to be my personal bodyguard.” 

“Hey!” Dream exclaimed, flushing in embarrassment. 

Everyone had a nice little laugh at this, to which Eret was deeply grateful for. 

“Bad, no Skeppy?” Puffy asked, turning to her old friend. 

Bad shook his head, smiling softly, “No, we thought it better for him not to tag along.” 

“Yeah,” Sapnap nodded, “Dad doesn’t trust him.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t say that!” Bad exclaimed, quickly correctly with a nervous chuckle.

Puffy smiled at this, understanding what they meant by it. “Well, I hope he doesn’t stir up any trouble back at home.” 

The hybrid knight turned to Sapnap and Quackity before stating, “It’s good to see you two troublemakers as well.” 

They grinned back at her but before they could say anything, Sam put a hand on their shoulders and said in a vaguely threatening tone, 

“I hope they won’t be too much of their troublemaking-selves though.” 

Both Princes went tense, their eyes widening as they swallowed, 

“O-of course not!” Quackity coughed. 

“Uh, y-yeah!” Sapnap stuttered with a nod and a nervous grin. 

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Sam grinned with a hum, letting go of their shoulders. 

Puffy laughed and shook her head, “Don’t pretend that you also aren’t a trouble maker too, Sam.” She waved an accusing finger at the two Kings, “your kids get it from somewhere.” 

Both Kings flushed, Sam a green and Bad a red, at this, knowing that their friend was right, but neither of them said anything about it. 

Eret chuckled softly, drawing the attention onto them, “Well, it’s getting late,” they said, looking at the others and the setting sun, “I’m sure you’re all tired and hungry,”

“You could say that,” Bad chuckled. 

“They should be serving dinner now, but if you want to settle in you may do so.” Eret turned to Puffy, “Puffy will you?”   
  
She nodded, “I can take those who are tired to their quarters and those who are hungry can follow Dream,” she turned to her son, “you remember where the dining hall is, yes?”   
  
“Of course,” he grinned. 

“Excellent!” Eret clapped their hands together, “I should inform you that the Manburg kingdom has already arrived and settled in-” Sam and Quackity both perked up at this, “-just to give you all a heads up in case you run into one of them in the halls.” 

“We were the second ones to arrive?” Sam asked with the slight tilt of his head. He was surprised to hear this, as the Redstone Kingdom was a lot further away from the SMP Kingdom than the other kingdoms. Those carriages must have been a lot more efficient than Sam originally thought they were.

Eret nodded, “Yes, Marburg arrived earlier today and I’m afraid the Antarctic Empire won’t arrive till tomorrow. I got reports of bad weather at sea, but they should be fine.” they waved their hand in the air, “Anyways, Sam, would you mind helping with the carriages? I can show you where you can store them during your stay.” 

“Of course,” Sam nodded before looking at the others, “you guys go on ahead and eat or rest. I’ll come and join after I get the carriages packed away.” 

“Alright, you heard him” Puffy smiled, “those who want to settle in first, follow me, and those who want dinner can follow Dream,” she patted her son’s shoulder. 

“By the way,” she whispered to him, “they’re staying in the tower rooms. Badlands get the left tower and the Redstones get the right tower.” 

Dream nodded, “Got it.” 

Puffy looked up at him and beamed. It was really good to see him again. She almost regretted sending him away in the first place. But a mother had worries and sending her son to the most peaceful kingdom to look after a prince who did next to nothing every day was a better idea than to keep him with her. This was better for him.

“Eat up and rest up,” Eret instructed with a smile, “it’s a free day tomorrow so rest as much as you’d like.”

“Sounds wonderful,” George yawned. 

Dream chuckled, “Alright, let’s go.” 

He motioned them to follow and Eret and Sam watched as the two groups led by Puffy and Dream entered the castle.

“Shall we?” Eret asked, turning towards Sam. 

The creeper hybrid king extended a hand, “Lead the way.” 

\---

The arrival of the Antarctic Empire was going just about how Eret expected it would go. 

A heavy air of tension lingered around her, mixing with the sweet smell of the sea and morning mist, as she stood alongside Puffy and a few other knights at the docks a few hours into the morning. 

They were waiting with carriages to receive the members of the Antarctic Empire to carry them from the docks into the castle grounds after a quick breakfast and for Eret, a troublesome sleep full of anxious tossing and turning. 

“Ma’am, you being nervous is making me nervous,” Puffy muttered, watching as the large ship with the blue flags and sails started to come into view. 

“Sorry,” Eret whispered back, knowing that because she was elven, that nervous energy was easily felt by those around her. 

“Don’t stress,” Puffy said, glancing over at Eret, “This is the last kingdom.” 

“Yes, but it's’ the one I’m most worried about,” Eret muttered with a frown, nervously fiddling with her hands. 

Puffy bit the insides of her cheeks, “Well, just think about our end goal and everything will be fine. I know that you don’t have the best of relations with them, but maybe that’ll change.” 

“Yeah, maybe,” Eret muttered with a sigh.

The two fell silent as the ship started to dock in front of them, the sheer size of the ship making them take a few steps back in fears of coming too close, despite that not being the case. 

It was a beautiful wooden ship, with large white and royal blue sails that slowly were being taken down as the ship slowed to a stop. The sound of sailors could be heard from the deck as they bustled about to get the ship properly docked. Once they did so, they lowered a wooden ramp down onto the dock, throwing aside ropes that Eret had her knights tie onto the posts so that the ship would stay put. 

Seconds later, the Royal Family appeared on the ramp, slowly making their descent downwards and Eret did her best to keep her smile about her at the sight of them. First came the Emperor and his wife, followed by his twin sons with the youngest making up the rear. 

“Welcome, Emperor Philza and family,” Eret greeted with a smile and a curtsy, “so glad you all could make it. I hope your travels weren’t too terrible.” 

“Aside from the weather, I would say we had a decent trip,” Phil nodded, keeping his posture, as did the rest of his family. They all looked at Eret and her knights with quiet looks, the air was obviously more than tense, but Eret didn’t want to dwell on that feeling. 

“Right,” she smiled, standing up straight again, even though the Emperor was several feet shorter, Eret still was intimidated by his presence. And it wasn’t just because of his two much taller hybrid sons standing behind him, one with his arms folded and the other with his hand on the hilt of his sword. 

Clearing her throat, she cast a glance at Puffy who just gave her an encouraging smile. 

“I’m glad to hear that everything about your travels was alright, aside from the weather. I’m sure Puffy knows all about the difficulties of traveling by sea,” She motioned to her knight who nodded, “but I’m glad that you’re all here safely.” 

“Well,” The Empress spoke up with a smile, “we’re happy to be here as well,” she gave a look towards her husband who just sighed and looked away before she looked back up at Eret, “we appreciate you inviting us to the Summit despite what’s happened in these last couple of years.” 

Eret cringed internally at the subtle jab at the SMP’s infamous betrayals towards the Antarctic Empire. It had been betrayed at the beginning of the Diamond War during the reign of Eret’s grandparents in exchange for the stopping of the expansion of Badland territory and it was betrayed again during the last years of the War of the Seasons by Eret herself. 

She had agreed to side with them, working closely with Wilbur to prevent the growing number of Nether forces that were trying to take over, only to have double intentions of letting the Nether have some of the Empire’s territory in exchange for the safety of her Kingdom. 

Eret could see that Wilbur was still angered by her actions, as he looked at her with a cold gaze, arms folded, eyes narrowed and Eret didn’t blame him one bit for it. 

“What happened in the past,” Eret started, “was wrong and I know I can’t make it up to you with a simple apology, but I can assure you that this Summit is to make sure that these things don’t happen again in the future.”   
  
Philza raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t seem convinced. However, instead of arguing against it, figuring he could save it till the actual Summit itself, he waved a hand in the air to brush the statement aside. 

“I understand what you’re trying to do here, mate. And on some level, I do appreciate it.” He nodded, “But we’ll just have to wait and see how this ends.” 

Eret’s smile faltered a little, but she smiled and nodded in agreement. “Yes, let’s. In the meantime,” she turned to Puffy, “I brought my knights and some carriages to escort you and your belong’s to the castle. All the other Kingdoms are there and settled, we just offered breakfast so if you’re hungry, I’m sure there’s still something you can eat in the Great Hall.”

Eret waved a hand in the air and motioned some knights forward, “I have some knights who can help unload your ship. If you’d like, a carriage can take you to the castle where my knights can show you to where you’re staying.” 

“Sounds wonderful,” The Empress nodded, glancing at her husband who gave a small shrug. “We brought alongside some knights as well who can help with the unloading as well while we head to the castle.” 

Eret sighed in relief, feeling some tension be lifted off his shoulders. So far nothing too terrible happened yet, as the Empire seemed complacent enough to follow along without any problems. 

“Your carriage is the second in line,” Eret explained, motioning to the line of carriages waiting for them past the docks. “It’ll take you to the castle where my second in command of the guard, HBomb, will be waiting to show you around the castle.” 

The two rulers gave a nod, the Empress a small smile and the Emperor a strained one, in thanks for Eret’s service. The sons said nothing and Eret was grateful for that. 

With a silent smile, Eret stopped to the side so that the family could head to the carriages while she stayed behind for a second, wanting to make sure that the ship was secured and settled. 

“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Kristen muttered to her husband once they out of earshot of the Ruler of the SMP.

Philza glanced back at their ship before looking back at his wife and nodding in agreement, “No, that wasn’t. But I could feel how nervous she was.” He huffed, “I don’t know why I agreed to come to this Summit.” 

“Don’t say that,” Kristen muttered, only loud enough for Philza to hear, “I know you don’t trust most of the kingdoms, but we need this peace. War has done nothing but hurt our kingdom and family.” 

Philza blinked, looking at her with a frown. He didn’t have a response to that, so instead his expression just softened at the sight of her and he gave her hand a small squeeze before turning his attention away and to the second carriage that had been opened for them.

“Father,” Wilbur spoke up before Philza could get into the carriage. The Emperor turned to look at his son, raising an eyebrow in question at the Prince as he watched him nervously scratch at the back of his hand. 

“What is it?” Philza asked. 

Wilbur hesitated before taking a deep breath and looking at his father, “If it’s alright with you, I won’t be staying in the castle.” 

“What?” Tommy exclaimed, butting into the conversation with wide eyes. 

Philza ignored the intrusion and frowned at Wilbur, “You’re...not staying with us?” 

Wilbur shook his head before brushing some of his brown hair out of his eyes. “No, I’m going to stay with my wife and son,” he explained, smiling softly at the thought of them. I don’t see them often, so I thought to make up for that I would stay with them for the two weeks.”

“Wilbur!” Tommy complained, waving his hand to try and get his older brother to look at him, “You can’t do that! I thought you said you were staying with us!”

Unable to ignore him, Wilbur chuckled and looked at his brother. “Well, first off, you’re acting clingy-”

Tommy scoffed, his ears going red at the tips, “N-no, I’m not!”

“-second of all,” Wilbur held up two fingers, “-I can do that and I will, they’re my family too. And thirdly, don’t worry big man, I’ll still be around.” He ruffled the top of Tommy’s hair, getting shouts of protest before he looked back up at his parents. 

Neither of them seemed against it. His mother understood where he was coming from, and as far as Philza was concerned, it seemed like the Emperor didn’t really care. And to Wilbur, it wasn’t that surprising. 

“Well, alright then,” Philza nodded, “You just need to make sure you're present for the important events. I’m not just going to have Techno playing the Prince role.” 

Wilbur cringed a little at the mention of playing the part of a Prince, but he was grateful that they were letting him go. As much as he loved his younger brother, he didn’t know how well he’d do in the castle of a traitor surrounded by his family. Plus, he felt guilty for not being there for Sally and Fundy as much as he should’ve. This was the least he could do. 

His mother walked up to him and gently patted his cheek, smiling softly, “Say hi to Sally and Fundy for me, alright?”   
  
Wilbur smiled and put a hand on top of his mother’s cold one, nodding softly, “I will.” 

“This isn’t fair!” Tommy yelled, stomping his foot, “I wanna go with Wilbur!” He then proceeded to latch onto his brother’s leg, much like how he used to do when he was several years young. 

“Tommy-” Philza warned sternly, glaring at the boy because now he was being loud enough to cause curious glances from the knights around them. 

“Tommy, let go of your brother’s leg, please,” Kristen instructed, her voice firm yet gentle at the same time. 

Tommy stared up at his mom before shaking his head and holding on tighter. At this, Wilbur chuckled and Techno rolled his eyes, not finding it amusing at all. Philza reacted in a similar manner, except he was pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering things under his breath as his wife tried again, 

“Theseus,” the full name made Tommy’s eyes widen, “you can’t go with Wilbur. You need to let go.” 

Her voice now a little colder, Tommy loosened his grip on his brother’s a little. Wilbur took the opportunity to pry the kid off of his leg and took a step to create some distance between them while their mother relaxed and thanked Tommy for letting go. 

Tommy didn’t seem too pleased though. He pouted and folded his arms, announcing that he wouldn’t leave the port unless Wilbur went with them to the castle or took him to stay with Sally and Fundy. 

“Tommy now isn’t the time to cause a scene,” Wilbur sighed, walking back over to him and squatting so that they were now more or less eye to eye. It seemed like he was going to be like the twins, tall, as Wilbur had to look up at Tommy while he squatted.

“But I don’t want you to go,” Tommy muttered, trying to make eye contact with Wilbur but failing miserably. 

Wilbur couldn’t help but smile, finding his brother’s attachment issues rather amusing. “It’s not like I’m going away forever, big man.” he patted the top of his head, “I’ll be around, don’t worry. Plus,” he grinned, “you can hang out with big brother Techno, wouldn’t that be cool?”

Tommy’s eyes lit up a little at the statement while Techno’s dulled and he shook his head muttering a single, monotone, “No.”

Standing back up, Wilbur dusted off his clothes before turning back to his parents. “Good luck with him,” his mother nodded, but neither of them looked amused. “I’m going to take Ranboo with me,” he said, walking to grab his bag that had been dropped off by one of their knights. 

“His sister is in town,” he explained, “I can make sure he gets to her bakery safely before going to see my family.” He slung his bag over his shoulder before taking a deep breath and breaking out in a grin. 

He cast one last look at his family before saluting and turning his back and walking away. The Prince then headed towards their Scribe who was standing near the boat with his own bag, waiting for Wilbur so that they could continue their journey into town.

“Let’s not be delayed anymore,” Philza’s voice got the attention of the rest of them, “it would do us good to get to the castle.” 

Kristen nodded in agreement before holding a hand out to Tommy who was watching Wilbur and Ranboo walk away and into the city gates with a frown. “Tommy, let’s go.” 

Tommy turned and looked at his mother’s hand before ignoring it and walking towards the carriage, “I think I already hate this trip.” 

His family let out a collective sigh before entering the carriage. Philza and Kirsten sat on the plush bench across from Techno and Tommy, both of who were doing their best to be as far away from each other as possible. 

Philza looked at the two of them with a frown. He internally sighed, turning to look out the window instead. 

It was going to be a long Summit indeed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, look at me! Staying on top of this surprisingly, haha....
> 
> Anyways, this was a little bit of filler, as most of them will be for the beginning as we're introducing characters, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming for talks of peace wasn't everyone's main priority.

Wilbur and Ranboo walked into the town silently, Wilbur’s bag slung over his shoulder, guitar in the other hand, while Ranboo dragged his own bag along behind him. Wilbur kept his gaze forward and mouth closed, not looking for conversation while Ranboo’s gaze shifted all around him, in awe of everything around him. 

It had been a while since the enderling was in his home kingdom and a while since he’d seen clear skies and green grass. It was nice to not have to be constantly shivering from the cold and snow, but the sun seemed a little too bright for his liking. 

The villagers seemed friendly enough, going about their business trading, farming, watching in awe as Wilbur and Ranboo passed through the town. It took Ranboo a few minutes to realize that the staring wasn’t because of their hybrid features, but rather the regal nature of them both. With all the stares and confused faces, he had felt like hiding his features by draping his cloak over him, but soon he came to realize that they were simply looking because of how the two were dressed. 

The winter attire and the silver crowns gave away their status, but none of the citizens looked pleased enough to bow. Not that Ranboo minded, of course. They all just stared, tense, unsure, very few of them smiled. 

A sort of ease washed over the enderling though as he let out a sigh of relief and carried on, following closely behind Wilbur. He didn’t feel too ostracized now for his looks, but he was somewhat afraid that his status might bring along trouble.

“Where did you say your sister’s house was again?” Wilbur asked, turning his head slightly to glance over his shoulder at Ranboo. 

Ranboo stared at him for a second before answering with a nervous, “Oh, uh, I-I’m not too sure…” He frowned, cursing his short-term memory loss under his breath as Wilbur raised an eyebrow at him, stopping in his tracks.

He patted his black tunic down before pulling out an old leather book bound by dark brown rope. Ranboo flipped the book open to a page marked by a green eye sphere and ran a finger down the page before stopping at some scribbles. 

“Oh! Uh, here it is!” He grinned before looking up. “I wrote down that it was near the inn, in the middle of town.” 

Wilbur glanced down at the book before looking back up with a sigh, “Well, I suppose we could ask someone to point us in the right direction.”

Ranboo watched as Wilbur waved a hand at a hybrid man with deer features, stopping him as he walked with a basket full of fish. 

“Excuse me sir, but may I ask where the town inn might be?” Wilbur questioned, trying not to look intimidating, though his height and regalness canceled out his bright smile.

The hybrid man blinked, his ear twitching, before he smiled, friendly-like, and happily pointed with a quiet finger to a road that went further left into the town. 

Wilbur and Ranboo’s gaze followed the deer hybrid’s hand. Off to the right of the road read a sign that said ‘Inn’ with an arrow pointing down the same road, which made Wilbur flush in embarrassment, but he thanked the hybrid all the same. 

Still smiling, the man silenced carried on, leaving Wilbur and Ranboo to the rest of their journey. 

“Well, guess we just go this way,” Wilbur muttered before heading down the road. Ranboo quickly followed, staying behind Wilbur as his eyes continued to wander at all the fresh new sights that felt familiar to him. 

A few minutes later, the two hybrids came to the end of the road and into what seemed to be the time square. Smack in the middle, upon a large stone pedestal was a grand statue of Eret, the current ruler of the SMP Kingdom, with a colorful rainbow flag in hand. 

Wilbur looked up at the statue with narrowed eyes before looking away with a silent, ‘Tch’. 

“C’mon Ranboo,” Wilbur motioned towards the enderling with the wave of his hand, turning away from the statue, “let’s find your sister.” 

“Yes sir!” Ranboo nodded, quickly looking away from the statue and hurrying alongside Wilbur. The older one’s eyes scanned around the inn, following the circular shape the buildings were built in around the statue which stood in the middle before his eyes fell on a small bakery a few stores down from the inn and smiled, 

“I believe that’s the bakery, no?” he pointed, silently hoping the boy would remember. 

The enderling followed the finger before he too could see the bakery and broke out into a wide grin, 

“Yes! That’s it!”

This time, Ranboo took the lead, hurrying over to the baker with his monochrome tail swishing back and forth excitedly till he came to the entrance of the bakery. Ranboo paused, hand hovering over the doorknob as he waited for Wilbur. Once the Prince joined him at the front, Ranboo turned and gave him a bow. 

“Thank you sir for bringing me along, sir.” He thanked, grateful that Wilbur would let someone like him tag along. 

Wilbur reached down to pat the boy’s head before guiding him back up, as he never was too fond of the formalities of bowing, 

“Don’t mention it,” he smiled, “I get the whole family thing so try not to be too worried about Summit shit. Just relax and enjoy your stay, alright?”

Ranboo looked up at Wilbur in awe before nodding, 

“Yes sir!” 

Wilbur smiled and gave Ranboo’s shoulders a few pats before slowly starting to back up and walk away. 

“I’ll catch you later!” he waved before turning and heading back the way that he and Ranboo had come. Ranboo watched him go before he turned back to the door and pushed it open. 

The moment the door was opened, Ranboo was hit by the smell of bread and sweets. His face was immediately warmed by the heat radiating off of furnaces that were backing all kinds of delicious treats. It was enough to make Ranboo’s stomach growl and his mouth water, even though he had been provided with a small breakfast on the ship. 

“Hello?” he called out, noticing that there was no one inside. No customers, no one at the desk, just steaming bread and shiny pastries out on display. 

“I-is anyone here?” he asked, slowly stepping inside. 

When he got no response, aside from the crackle of firewood, he frowned and slowly started towards the front counter. 

Once he was there he leaned across it and put a hand next to his mouth to try again, hoping his voice would reach the backrooms. 

“Uh, hello?” he shouted, loud enough for it to carry through the backdoor. He got no response from it and was just met with the sounds of the bakery. He frowned and decided to wait then, his eyes wandering to the pink, purple, and blue banners lining the walls. 

“Ranboo?”   
  
The curious question that was his name pulled him back to the front desk where he met the kind brown eyes of his sister. 

“Oh my gosh,” she gasped, putting powdered covered hands to her face, “it’s you!”

She laughed in delight, throwing her hands up into the air as she hurried around the counter to give her brother a hug. 

“Uh, h-hello!” Ranboo smiled nervously, “it is me!” 

Niki pulled away and looked up at her brother,   


“Oh wow, you’ve gotten so tall! You’re like a whole foot taller since the last time I saw you!”

Ranboo glanced up as if he could physically see the rest of his height before looking back down and nodding, 

“Yeah, I guess I have grown!” 

Because of his young age, he still wasn’t as tall as he could be. He was still shorter than the twin Princes but he was taller than Prince Tommy and slowly gaining on the Emperor in height. 

“You must be hungry,” Niki realized, “let me get you something to eat.” She hurried to a two-person table neatly placed next to some windows in the corner of the shop, “Here,” she said, dusting off the chair pillows. 

“Come sit and rest while I get you some breakfast.”

“Oh, uh,” Ranboo slowly walked over to the sitting area before taking a seat, “thank you.” 

She gave him a small smile and a short nod before going back around the counter and disappearing through an open door into the back room. 

Ranboo sighed and glanced around the room, worried about customers before he relaxed and unclipped his cloak, draping it behind him on the back of his chair. 

While he waited for his sister’s return, he pulled out his book and flipped to a fresh new page, and began to write about the morning travels. Just when he was getting to the part with the deer hybrid who gave Prince Wilbur and him directions, Niki appeared again from the back room. This time she appeared with a tray in hand topped with two mugs and a plate piled on with an assortment of freshly baked goods. 

“Even if you already had breakfast, you’re still going to eat,” she chirped, placing the tray in front of him, “Enjoy!”

Ranboo blinked down at the plate before grinning and picking up a jelly-filled bread eagerly. His tail swished happily as he ate, the bread fresh and warm, making him hum in satisfaction. 

Niki smiled softly at her brother before taking a seat in front of him, taking one of the mugs on the tray for herself. She brought it up to her lips and blew gently before taking a sip of the light-colored liquid, her legs folded criss-cross on the chair. 

Once he seemed to have his fill of breakfast, Niki placed her mug down and started to make conversation with him, 

“So, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Ranboo looked up, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, “Oh, uh! Y-yeah, it has…”

To be honest, Ranboo couldn’t remember much about his life before the Antarctic Empire. He could barely remember Niki and the SMP Kingdom that used to be his home, but after his displacement during the Great War, Ranboo couldn’t remember much. 

“You...you probably don’t remember me,” Niki’s voice was suddenly quiet, filled with somber guilt, “you were practically an infant when they took you…” 

Ranboo frowned, looking over at his sister, staying quiet as he watched his sister nervously turn the mug around in her hands. 

“I remember it clearly though, you dad was fighting in the war, and mother was taking care of you and me,” she muttered, “we were poor and therefore easily expendable in the kingdom’s eyes so when the enemy armies took you I didn’t-” she stopped and inhaled shakily. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Ranboo quickly reached over and put a hand on hers, trying to reassure her. He was never the best in these kinds of situations, but he didn’t want to make his sister have to relive any traumatizing memories. 

Niki sniffed and looked up at him, blinking a few times before she smiled slowly, grateful that he was there now. 

“I-I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know much about the past,” Ranboo muttered, looking down, “but I do remember you, I had faint memories of you and your singing. Of mom’s cooking…” he looked at the baked goods, “I don’t remember the bad things…” 

Niki smiled at this, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze, “Good.” 

Ranboo smiled, relaxing a bit now that Niki seemed to be okay. “Besides, I’ve been staying with the Royal Family. They’ve given me a place to call home…” 

Niki sighed in relief at this, grateful to hear that Ranboo seemed to like where he was now. When she got the news that an enderling had been appointed scribe in the Antarctic Kingdom by Puffy who used her position as a knight to look for Ranboo, Niki was terrified that they might mistreat him. So hearing that they gave him a home helped ease those anxieties. 

There was a quiet silence, not exactly awkward, but not exactly empty of tension. At the mention of their parents, Ranboo wanted to ask for them. His father was his own, while his mother had been an enderling, but she was hunted down and killed when he was very young. He didn’t have the best memory about them, but that fact was something he couldn’t forget.

His step-mother though, he could barely remember just the same. She was Niki’s mother but Ranboo didn’t think she ever mistreated him. What he could remember was that she was kind, like his sister, a half-ling herself, Ranboo now thought she took pity on him for the fact. 

He wanted to see them both now though, but he knew enough to know that this was probably a hollow wish. After all, Niki mentioned their father fighting in the war and it wasn’t uncommon for the wives of the fallen in war to grieve to the point of death. 

So he didn’t ask about them. 

“How is it?” Niki suddenly asked, breaking the silence “Living with the Royal Family?” 

Ranboo withdrew his hand, his ear flickering as he sat back down in his chair, snapping out of his thoughts “Well, it’s nice,” he muttered, “it’s a lot of work to keep up with them and make sure that I don’t mess up, but the Emperor is really understanding and his family is kind.” 

“That sounds wonderful,” Niki whispered, relieved to hear those words. 

“Mmh,” he nodded, “Well, all accept the youngest Prince.” 

“Oh?” Niki questioned, tilting her head. 

Ranboo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s, uh, he’s something else...He’s only a little younger than I am, but I don’t know what to make out of him.” 

Niki chuckled, “You’re pretty mature for your age, aren’t you?” 

Ranboo looked up and blinked at his sister. He didn’t know how old he was exactly, only that it wasn’t too much, nor too little. It wasn’t even a memory thing, enderlings like him just aged differently from the normal hybrid, elf, nymph, or human. 

So, instead of asking, he just chuckled nervously. “Well, I have to be…with the job that I have...Taking notes for the Emperor at every meeting.” 

“Don’t tell me you’re the only one who does that!” Niki exclaimed, shocked that such a task would be given to someone so young. 

“No, no!” Ranboo shook his head, “I-i’m only training! They have others, older and more experienced...But…” he frowned, unsure how to phrase this, “but, uh, I believe the family has a soft spot for me…” he looked down at his nervously fidgeting hands with a small smile, “that’s...that’s why they let me come along to something so important. They knew I wanted to see you.” He looked up at his sister and grinning. 

Niki looked at him with a soft expression before rubbing her eyes and laughing, “Oh, and here I was thinking I’d never see you again…” She sniffled and dropped her hands, beaming, “I’m so happy to hear that you’re doing alright.”

Ranboo nodded, “Yeah...Yeah, I am.” 

There was a small silence before Ranboo’s eyes widened a bit and he quickly asked, “W-what about you?” He realized they’d just been talking about him and he was afraid he was being rude because of it. “H-how have t-things been for you?”

Niki’s smile reassured him, though he still felt bad about it, “Things have been alright...I’ve obviously have been doing well,” she motioned around to the bakery, “Captain Puffy, head of the Royal Guard, she’s...she’s been of some assistance to me these past years.” 

Ranboo glanced down, watching as his sister played with a ring around her finger with a soft smile. He didn’t ask any questions though, remaining silent. 

She cleared her throat and looked back up at her brother, “Anyways,” she laughed nervously and pushed some hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, “nothing too thrilling like working closely with a Royal Family, though, I will be providing for events at the Summit.” 

“Oh?” Ranboo questioned. 

“Puffy recommended to Their Majesty Eret that my bakery should provide for the different festivities that are going to occur over the next two weeks.” Niki exclaimed with a proud grin. 

Ranboo’s eyes widened, “W-wouldn’t that be a lot of work for just one person?” 

She laughed and shook her head, waving a hand in the air, “Oh, no, no, I’ll have help! I’m providing the castle cooks with my recipes and will be there to overlook everything. I’m not doing it all myself.” 

“Oh,” Ranboo muttered, flushing a dark purple in embarrassment at his oblivious nature to the logical. 

Niki nodded with a hum, “This means I’ll get to see you around the castle at points too.” She paused for a second, “Are you staying in the castle? You’re welcomed to stay here, if not.” 

“I-i, uh,” Ranboo fumbled for his words, “I’m...I’m not sure.” 

“Well,” Niki sighed, “that’s alright.” 

She thought for a moment before grinning and getting up, “How about we go ask? If you’re staying in the castle, that’s alright with me. If not, then you can stay here in the bakery with me. I could use a helping hand.” 

“You..you wanna ask now?” Ranboo questioned, looking up at his sister in confusion. 

She nodded, walking to grab a pink cloak from a hanger, “I had to go to the castle anyways to prepare everything for tomorrow.” She motioned to the goods on display, “They’re having a ball tomorrow to get everyone more or less acquainted and it’s an attempt to break any remaining tensions.” She slipped on the cloak, buttoning it up on the top, “I’m catering.” 

Ranboo blinked before he got up, “Oh, um, a-alright, I can come with.” 

Niki smiled softly and nodded, “Let’s go then!” 

\---

As Wilbur headed back towards the docks he hummed a tune, one that was simple and sweet, dear to his heart, and caught the ears of everyone he strided past. 

He held his head up high, a grin on his face as he approached the sea side where he’d first met his love all those years ago when he’d been working alongside Eret during the War of the Seasons. Before the betrayal.

But, his lover was a lovely siren, a beautiful shapeshifter by the name of Sally. Her scales were red, her hair bright orange, her eyes an emerald ocean green, skin an olive shade, and her voice was as melodiac as the sea itself. She was everything Wilbur loved and more, but it pained him to have to leave her to go back home.

This was part of the reason why he despised being a Prince. He was away from Sally, away from Fundy, and he didn’t like the idea of it. He believed he should be present, as a husband and father. He knew what it was like to not have a father that was always there, always present. 

Though he knew his father had the excuse of war, fighting constantly and being away frequently, Wilbur had sworn to be different the moment he saw Tommy cry when their father had shunned him and opted for another war instead. 

If he wasn’t a Prince, he wouldn’t have to worry about his crown, his status. He could live a normal life with his family in the SMP Kingdom since Sally couldn’t survive the Antarctic Empire’s climate. However, Wilbur wasn’t so sure how he’d fare under Eret’s rule. 

The familiar housing of the fishermen on the docks came into view and Wilbur’s strides got a little longer, his humming got a little louder, and his smile got a little brighter. 

With the fresh air, the sound of the waves, and the warm sun, he finally felt like he was back at home. And that was because he was. 

“Wilbur!” The sweet voice of his wife called out, Sally spotting him from the house deck. She let out an excited cry before running down the stairs and towards him, jumping into his arms. 

Wilbur laughed, catching her, as he spun her around in delight, “Sally!” 

She laughed, throwing back her head as Wilbur spun her before setting her bare feet back down onto the cobblestone road. He kept his arms around her though, closing his eyes as the two pressed their foreheads together in greeting. 

“Oh my gosh,” she muttered, “I can’t believe you’re here…” 

He brought up a hand and gently cupped her cheek, smiling with a nod, “I’m finally here…”

She brought a hand up to his, her eyes crinkling in delight, “I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you so much, Fundy-”

“Where is she?” Wilbur asked, looking around, “Speaking of Fundy, where’s my little princess?” 

Sally bit her tongue, frowning a bit at this as she took a step back. This caused Wilbur to look back at her in confusion, 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, tilting his head, “Did something happen with Fundy?”   
  
Sally picked up on the panic in his voice and quickly shook her head, “Oh, no, no! Nothing’s happened with Fundy! Fundy’s alright-” she paused before drawing a breath, “ _ he’s _ alright…” 

Wilbur blinked, unsure if he heard Sally right or if she was mixing up words. 

“I...he?” 

Sally frowned, she’d been nervous about this, unsure about how Wilbur would react to the news. 

“Yes, he,” she nodded, “Fundy...Well,” she glanced back at the house, “I think he should tell you himself, shouldn’t he?” 

Wilbur seemed to understand the situation, frowning with a quiet, “Oh” in realization. His cheery mood disappeared for a second as he tried to wrap his head around what he assumed what was happening. It wasn’t until he realized how nervous Sally seemed that he snapped out of it and back into his cheery demeanor. 

“Yes!” He nodded, “I think it would be good if Fundy explained her- uh, himself.” 

Sally sighed, though still tense, “Alright, come with me.” She gave Wilbur a small smile before taking his hand and leading him over to the rocks under their house that faced out towards the sea. 

Wilbur dropped his luggage off underneath the deck stairs, keeping his guitar on him, slung over his shoulder as he followed after his wife, his mind racing with things to say. 

Had it been that long? Had he missed out on something so big and meaningful in Fundy’s life? 

The thoughts chewed on his conscience until he saw the scrawny figure of Fundy sitting on the rocks, looking out to sea with a fox tail swishing side to side in contempt. Wilbur then tensed, his mouth going dry and palms getting sweaty, still unable to think about what to say in this situation. 

“Fundy!” Sally called, letting go of Wilbur’s hand to walk over to the fox hybrid, “Your father is here!” 

Wilbur watched as Fundy’s tail came to a stop and even though Fundy was wearing a hat, Wilbur could see the fox ears go down at the mention of Wilbur’s arrival. 

Sally glanced back at Wilbur, motioning him to walk over with a nervous smile. 

Wilbur took a breath before he walked over the rocks to the two of them, arriving at Sally's side and getting a look at Fundy for the first time in years. The last time he’d seen him was at the beginning of the Great War, 12 years ago. Since then, Fundy had grown. 

“Fundy,” Wilbur smiled, “it’s been a while, huh?” 

Fundy didn’t say anything, his golden eyes locked onto the sea. 

Sally frowned, “C’mon Fundy, don’t be like that. Your father is finally back.” 

Fundy let out a sigh and decided to turn to finally look at them, frowning slightly as he looked up at his parents. 

“Hello, father,” he spoke, his voice low and uninterested. 

Now able to see his face better, Wilbur took note of several things. For one, Fundy’s once long and beautiful orange hair, much like his mother’s, had been cut short, barely peeking out of his hat. His voice was also lower and the clothes he wore weren’t feminine at all. Fundy had truly grown a lot. 

“Fundy…” Wilbur muttered, “I-”

“Shocking, yes?” Fundy chuckled dryly, “A lot has changed over these past 12 years...You tend to miss things when you’re gone for so long.” He brought his knees close to his chest, Wilbur noted also that it wasn’t as defined as he thought it would be, and laid his head on top of his knees. 

Wilbur frowned, the comment about missing out filling him with guilt. Despite him making a promise to be better than his father, despite him saying that he wanted to be in his family’s lives, he was nothing but a liar. Saying it only made him feel better, it wasn’t like he acted upon it. 

“Fundy…” Sally whispered, a frown on her face. 

  
“No,” Wilbur held out a hand, stopping her, “Fundy’s right...I haven’t been around in over a decade and that’s completely my fault.” 

He sighed and unslung the guitar, sitting it down before he sat down himself, right next to Fundy. The hybrid didn’t do anything, didn’t flinch or scoot away, just eyed him cautiously with those golden eyes. 

“But I’m here now,” Wilbur said in a quiet voice, “I’m going to try and be here more often. If we get peace from these Summits then I’ll get to stay...I can be with you guys and we can be a family.” He looked between the two and smiled.

Sally smiled softly at this and put a hand on Wilbur’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. Despite the smile though, Wilbur could see an unnamed sadness behind her ocean green eyes, but he ignored it, his attention on Fundy. 

“And I know it won’t make up for the last twelve years, but I would hope that it counts for something” Wilbur uttered, tilting his head a bit to look at Fundy. 

The fox’s ear twitched as he glanced up at his dad before sighing shakily, “It’s alright...You don’t need to apologize or anything...I get it,” he muttered, “you had your royal duties to do.” 

Wilbur frowned, “You know I don’t like having to do ‘royal duties’, you don’t have to make it seem like I enjoy fighting in wars, making battle plans, and attending meetings.” 

Fundy didn’t say anything, though both parents knew he was biting his tongue to stop himself from making a clever remark. 

Wilbur sighed and shook his head, “I know you don’t want me to apologize, but I’m still going to. It’s my duty as a father to be there for you, and I wasn’t. I wasn’t there for you while you were trying to find yourself, but I’m here now, and I support you.” 

At this, Fundy perked up. He raised his head, eyes wide, and ears pointed forward. “W-what?” He asked in a quiet voice, “Y-you support me?” 

Wilbur grinned, “Of course I do, you’re my child! I’ll love you as a son as much as I did a daughter.” 

Fundy blinked several times at this before swallowing. He looked down, eyes going blurry before he nodded slowly with a forming smile. “Okay...okay, yeah-” he looked over at his Dad after rubbing his eyes. 

“Thank you…” he muttered quietly. 

Wilbur smiled softly before reaching out and gently rubbing the back of his ear, “Of course,” he brought up his hand and playfully ruffled the top of Fundy’s head, despite the hat, “Oh, my little champion! I missed you so much!” 

He’d figured that ‘little champion’ could replace his previous nickname of ‘princess’, finding it a little more masculine and amusing. 

Fundy narrowed his eyes a bit, but Wilbur didn’t notice, as he waved his hand in the air, trying to get his dad’s hand away. Meanwhile, Sally laughed, relieved that Wilbur was able to take the news so easily. Then again, he was a piglin hybrid who married a salmon siren and had a fox hybrid as a kid. This was probably the least surprising thing to him. 

“Well! Now that that’s all sorted out!” Sally grinned, clapping her hands together, “We can spend some time together as a family!” 

“Aww,” Fundy groaned, ducking his head, despite his smile. “But I was having enough fun throwing rocks into the ocean without you two.” 

“Aw c’mon,” Wilbur chuckled, reaching out for his guitar, “I know you want to sing some songs!” 

Fundy did want to sing some songs, actually. Even if Wilbur hadn’t been present for most of his life, Fundy could remember the times where his mother and father would dance around the house, singing in their beautiful voices great songs about the legends of the land or tales from the sea. 

It was the reason why Fundy had taken up the piano. His mother had taught him and they would have nights with his father on the guitar, Fundy on the piano, and his mother would sing in her enchanting voice that made Fundy feel like he could do anything. All of it a distraction from the wars happening around them.

He missed moments like that. 

The sound of Wilbur strumming on the guitar brought Fundy back to the present and he watched as his father tuned the guitar, turning the pegs here and there as his mother took a seat on the other side of Fundy. 

He stretched out his legs, letting his hands rest on his thighs as he drew a breath, inhaling the salty-sweet ocean air, the mist flowing around his ears, making them twitch in delight. 

Wilbur drew a breath before playing a few chords and singing a song about the waves of the ocean when his mother joined in during the chorus, the melody of their voices and the ocean beside them making Fundy grin in delight. 

For a second it felt like old times again, the smell of the ocean, the sound of strings and singing, for a second Fundy was happy, grateful for his father to be back. And he smiled, and he sang along, and he pushed away the reality of what his mother had told him before his father had arrived. 

And everything was perfect, if only for a second. 

\---

Sam wasn’t a morning person. 

He often stayed up late working on projects, whether they were personal, commissions, or ones to benefit the kingdom. He always worked late into the night, sometimes until the crack of dawn, and his sons hated him for it. 

But it never bothered him. 

Too often he found himself consumed with thoughts during the night. There was too much guilt and shame about what his ancestors had done, what he had done, what was going on in the world and how powerless he felt to change it. So by occupying himself with other tasks at night, he was able to take his mind off such thoughts. 

However, for today, he decided that he was a morning person. For once the sun was a good height into the sky, Sam woke in the room that had been provided for him with a bright smile and eager attitude to get the day started. 

After a quick change into more casual clothing, a white undershirt with a dark green tunic and black pants, Sam headed into the hallways and into the Great Hall where Eret had informed meals would take place. 

He was about half way done with his breakfast, one of the few people there, when his youngest spotted him and let out a surprise exclamation about his father being up so early. 

“Dad?” Quackity had questioned, walking over to him, “What the hell? What are you doing up so early?” 

Sam had chuckled and simply answered with, “I have things to do today.” 

Then, after a quick conversation with his son, with no further explanation on his statement, he finished his food and said goodbye, leaving the castle and the grounds to head into town. 

You see, last night, while he and Eret had been storing away the carriages, Sam got enough courage to ask some questions about the different attendees of the Summit. First he engaged in a simple conversation, praising Eret for their efforts for peace, and then he started to get the information he wanted out of the ruler. 

He found about the plans for the Summit, that there was to be a ball in two days' time before any of the real talks began and where the different kingdoms were staying in the castle. Though, his priority was just one particular Kingdom, that of Manburg, but not for the President, but rather the head scientist.

Sam exited the castle’s gates, entering the town that surrounded the most human he could look, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention onto him while he was in town. He’d removed his crown and anything that would give away his status as a king, relying on the town’s little knowledge on other rulers to get him through the town without any trouble. 

He took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp morning air with a smile. It was so nice, the sun gentle and sky bright blue. Because it was morning, there weren’t a lot of people in the town, the only ones present seemed to be traders and shopkeepers, setting up their goods for the day. 

Sam felt at ease in the moment, worries and anxieties about the Summit seemed to drift away the closer he got to the town inn where Eret had informed him earlier that others were staying in for the time being. 

It only was a short walk from the castle to the center of the town where the inn he was looking for awaited him. Not wanting to seem weird by going in and asking, or hanging around the inn like a solicitor, Sam decided to tour around the town a bit. 

He looked at all the different little shops and stands around the town’s main square. He took note of the bakery for later, knowing how much Bad loved muffins. He even bought a rose from a flower stand run by a brown haired fairy who herself was decorated with roses. And after all of that, he went outside to the center and admired the statue of Eret, ignoring the looks he got, knowing he probably was very obviously an outsider. 

He knew his species had a bad history of being destructive and reckless beings, and though he hated being grouped with them, he was grateful for it for the time being, as no one approached him with questions on who he was or why he was in town. 

It had been maybe thirty minutes when Sam finally spotted who he was looking for. The familiar red, black, and yellow mask and lab coat of an old friend who Sam had been eager to see for years now. 

“Ponk!” Sam exclaimed, trying to get the man’s attention from where he stood, a few buildings down from the inn where Ponk had exited from. 

The man didn’t seem to hear or see him, as he kept walking, making Sam sigh and shake his head before quickly walking over to where he was, unable to constrain his grin. 

“Ponk!” he called out again, now closer to the man. 

This time, it got the man’s attention. 

Ponk stopped in his tracks, going tense before he turned around with wide eyes, “Sam?” 

Sam stopped, grinning widely before he waved his hand at the man. 

“Oh my gosh,” Ponk muttered before running over and tackling his tall friend with a hug and bright smile, though it was masked by his face covering. 

Sam laughed and gratefully returned the hug, picking the smaller man up a few inches off the ground before setting him back down, allowing the other to pull away and look up at him. 

“It’s been forever!” Ponk exclaimed, “I thought I wouldn’t see you ever again, stoopid!” 

“Now, don’t exaggerate,” Sam chuckled, “you know I would’ve come to visit you if I ever got the chance.” 

“Guess you never got the chance then, huh?” Ponk scoffed, mocking a hurt tone of voice as he stuck his head into the air and folded his arms. 

Sam frowned a little, though he knew Ponk was only teasing. “Aw Ponkie, don’t be like that,” he muttered, moving so that he could see Ponk’s face since the man was turning away from him, “I wanted to visit you several times...At least I wrote to you, right?” he smiled softly, trying to get the other to look at him. 

Ponk didn’t answer for a moment before huffing. “Well, I guess you did,” he muttered, still not looking at Sam, “but you still didn’t visit me once.” 

“But I’m here now,” Sam reminded, nudging him with his shoulder playfully, “we can enjoy each other’s company again and make up for the last couple of years!” 

Ponk looked at Sam and the taller male could tell that Ponk was slowly beginning to smile underneath his mask. But he didn’t say anything about it, instead, he raised an eyebrow and poked Sam’s shoulder, 

“Aren’t you going to be busy though? Talking about peace and whatnot?”

Sam flushed, “Well, uh, yeah but-” he laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, “-I’m sure I can make time to be with you.” 

“You better promise, Sammy,” Ponk command, holding out his pinky, “I’m going to hold you to that.” 

Sam looked at the pinky with an amused grin before locking his own and nodding. “Please hold me to it.” 

Ponk grinned, satisfied, and pulled his hand away, but Sam caught it, taking it into his own. 

“Oh!” He exclaimed, “I got you this,” He smiled, handing Ponk the flower he had been holding in his other hand.

Ponk stared at the flower before taking it with a smile. Sniffing it, Ponk flushed, “It’s beautiful, thanks Sammy.” 

The taller man beamed, holding back a comment about how he thought Ponk was even more beautiful than the rose. He didn’t want to come off too strong just yet. 

“So, what were your plans for today?” Sam asked, not saying anything about their hands, and not letting go. 

Ponk looked down at their hands, smiling softly as he twirled the rose in his other hand, not saying a single thing about it.

“Well, I was just on my way to check on the horses,” He informed, the two of them walking through town, hand in hand, “they’re at the castle’s stables currently and I’ll have to check on them constantly to make sure they’re being taken care of.” 

Sam hummed, nodding as he watched Ponk as they walked and talked.

“You came by horse and carriage?” 

Ponk nodded in response. 

“Yeah, President Schlatt hates traveling by boat, so it was the only way we could travel.” 

“Ah,” Sam muttered, “well if you ever want an upgrade, I’m sure I can provide the kingdom with something better than a simple horse and carriage.” 

Ponk rolled his eyes fondly at the comment, laughing, “I think we’re alright, Sam. Thank you though.” 

“Well, the offer’s always up,” Sam shrugged with a small smile. He paused before adding with a quick glance down at Ponk, “And the offer to stay with me in the Redstone Kingdom again is always an option if things in Manburg aren’t working out.” 

Before Ponk had gone to Manburg to work under Schlatt, he was part of the Redstone Kingdom. This was how Sam and Ponk knew each other because it was Ponk who found a child Quackity wandering around his lemon orchid and brought him to Sam. On top of that, Ponk had made a record for being a clever scientist and scammer, which caught Sam’s attention as someone who could appreciate the art of science but also as a ruler who valued the fair and just. 

So before working under Schlatt, Ponk had worked under Sam. They became very close friends and often worked together on projects with Ponk as head scientist and Sam as the engineer. Sam liked to think of them as gears, they fit together and worked well and he loved Ponk. 

However, Ponk saw an opportunity in Manburg and moved during the War of the Seasons. There he became a businessman, creating a casino and thriving under Schlatt’s rule. Like before, his skills as a scientist gained the Emperor’s attention, and soon he worked again as a head scientist and though he missed Sam, he stayed in Manburg. He felt like it was better to be away, too afraid of what would happen if he stayed and got too close. 

Clearing his throat, Ponk changed the subject, “Did you eat breakfast yet?” 

Sam frowned but knowing that Ponk didn’t want to talk more on the subject, decided to play along. 

“I did...Did you?” 

“Mmh,” Ponk nodded, “they serve breakfast at the inn, so that’s a bonus.” 

Sam looked down at his friend before turning his attention to the road back to the castle in front of him. He would probably try and convince Ponk to come back later, but for now, he was going to enjoy this precious time with his friend again. 

Suddenly, Sam remembered something and grinned, looking back at Ponk with an eager expression, similar to that of a puppy. 

“Oh! Ponk!” he exclaimed, squeezing his hand, “There’s going to be a ball tomorrow at the castle! Eret told me about it the other day.” 

“Oh?” Ponk questioned, “That sounds exciting.” 

“Mmmh!” Sam nodded, “You should come! I don’t know about the regulations, but I’m sure I could sneak you in if I need to!” 

Ponk looked at his friend, blinking as he came to a stop. 

“Sam, y-you don’t have to do that.” 

Sam shrugged, stopping as well, “I mean, I guess. I’m sure if I asked Eret, they would let me bring you as a plus one. After all, you did come with the Manburg Kingdom, and I’m sure they wouldn’t want to throw a ball with only direct family members of the different kingdoms. If anything, that’s not logical. There would be more tension from the small number of people in the room-” Sam began to ramble, making Ponk chuckle and shake his head fondly. 

“Sammy, you’re too much,” Ponk snorted, still shaking his head lightly. 

Sam stopped, blinking as he tilted his head in confusion at Ponk, unsure what he meant by that. 

“Let’s just go check on the horses,” Ponk said, grinning as he started walking again, dragging Sam along. 

“Oh, uh, alright,” Sam mumbled, following after him. 

Though the two didn’t say much after that, both of them shared a quiet understanding that they were both happy to see each other again, holding each other’s hands and stealing glances as they walked back to the castle. 

It was painfully obvious how much they cared about each other from an outside perspective, but they continued to dance around the fact, only focusing on living in the present. Because for now, they had each other, if only it was going to be for two weeks. 

And they were going to enjoy it.

\---

Quackity tapped his fingers on the wooden tables in the Great Hall, his plate of breakfast cleared of food, sitting empty in front of him. Head in a hand propped up by an elbow, he sighed, his eyes trained on the entrance of the Great Hall. 

He’d been like this for the past couple of minutes, almost an hour now. His father had already come and gone, confusing Quackity on what kind of business he needed to attend to so early in the morning. Sapnap had done the same, entering a few minutes after Sam had left. The elemental had scarfed down his food, slightly scaring Quackity with the sight, before he too said he had things to tend to and to tell Bad that he’d stay out of trouble if he asked about Sapnap’s whereabouts, leaving Quackity at the table by himself.

Of course, George hadn’t come to eat breakfast yet. The Prince was likely still asleep, but that had nothing to do with the fact that Quackity had stayed up trying to engage his brother in conversation, finding it funny that they were sharing a room like old times. 

Sighing, Quackity ducked his head, getting too impatient with simply sitting at the table waiting for the person he’d been wanting to see since the Summit had been mentioned to him. 

“Fuck this,” he muttered, pushing his plate away and getting up from the bench. 

He straightened out his dark blue vest, glancing around the room before he headed out of the Great Hall and down the hallways of the castle, clicks of his boots echoing across the smooth stone walls. 

“Where did Dream say they were staying?” Quackity muttered to himself as he walked, “The West wing? No…” he snapped, “East Wing!” 

He came to a stop, looking around the hall, unsure if the direction he was walking in was in fact, east. For a few seconds, he pondered before shrugging and continuing on his way, figuring he’d find out sooner or later.

As Quackity walked, he noticed how different the castle was from the one he was used to. For one, it was made out of smooth stone and cobble, while his family’s castle was made with gold, quartz, and obsidian. If anything, it was what a castle was supposed to look like, giant wooden doors, open windows, banners hanging on the walls, stone floors, and walls, but since it wasn’t home, Quackity didn’t feel comfortable walking down the halls on his own. 

Sure he was a grown man, but as he walked, part of him wished he paid more attention during his dueling lessons. Just in case one of the suits of armor decorating the halls wanted to pick a fight or if he ran into someone else from the other kingdoms. 

Nevertheless, he was tense as he walked down the halls, his feathers ruffling uneasily behind him with every swing of his arm. 

It was about ten minutes later when Quackity finally came to a stop after turning a corner, his eyes landing on who he’s been looking for all this time. 

Walking with his back to Quackity was the familiar tall and slender outline of the ram hybrid Emperor of Manburg, dressed in black, hands in his pockets. 

“Schlatt!” Quackity called out with a wide grin, picking up his pace as he walked over towards the figure. 

The man stopped, his ears perking up at the sound of his name. He turned slowly, squinting at Quackity as the smaller man rushed towards him with his wings flapping eagerly behind him. 

“Quackity?” Schlatt questioned, raising an eyebrow, unsure if he was seeing things or not. “Is that really you, sugar spice?”

Quackity laughed at the nickname, nodding as he screeched to a stop in front of Schlatt, a wide smile on his face. “Hell yeah, it is, sweetheart! I finally found you!” 

“You were looking for me?” Schlatt asked, a small smile forming on his face. 

“Uh, duh,” Quackity nodded, “I wanted to see you when we arrived, but it was pretty late already so I figured I would wait until morning.” 

“Is that so?” Schlatt grinned, reaching out and fixing Quackity’s cap, so that it wasn’t crooked anymore, while also pushing some hair that got messed up in his mad dash towards Schlatt. 

Quackity blinked, caught off guard by the gesture, but he appreciated it nonetheless, grinning. “Y-yeah…” he muttered before clearing his throat, “Well, h-how have you been? How are things? It’s been ages since I last saw you.” He was determined to make sure not to make things awkward. 

Schlatt drew back his hand and gave a shrug, backing up to lean against the castle wall. “It’s really been a while, huh?” 

Neither of them mentioned it, but this was the second time they were seeing each other in person. The first had been at the party, where Puffy introduced them, and since then, the only interactions they had was over pen and paper in the letters they occasionally sent to each other. 

“It’s been nearly half a decade,” Quackity muttered, “but who’s counting?”

“I’m not,” Schlatt commented with a scoff. 

“Well?” Quackity questioned, “How have things been? The last letter you sent me you talked about coming to the Summit and how I should go as well.” 

Schlatt grinned a bit before answering. “I’m sure as you know, ruling fucking sucks. It has benefits and it has cons. This Summit?” he motioned around them, “Definitely a con. The only good to come out of it though is probably seeing you again, pumpkin spice.” 

Quackity laughed at the nickname, flushing at the compliment, “Sure, whatever you say, man.” 

“I’m serious!” Schlatt insisted, “You think I wanted to be here?” He shook his head, “They’d have to pay me if they wanted me to come to this stupid ass Summit to talk about peace.” He made a face. 

“Well, hopefully I could make your time here worth it,” Quackity winked. 

“I’m counting on it,” Schlatt grinned, pushing himself off the wall so that he was only a few inches away from the other man, practically looming over him. 

“Whatever makes you happy big guy,” Quackity mused, looking up at him with a sweet smile. 

“Good,” Schlatt muttered, nodding slowly before backing away a bit. He paused before asking, “Are you planning on attending any of the meetings?”

Quackity made a face at the question, shaking his head, “Fuck no. My brother and Dad will probably be there though.” 

“Damn, why not?” Schlatt tilted his head a bit, frowning. 

“Do you really think I want to sit through a boring ass meeting?” Quackity asked with a chuckle, “Hell no.” 

“You think I want to do it?” Schlatt questioned with a groan, really not looking forward to it. 

“Aw, c’mon, you’ll be fine,” Quackity encouraged, giving his shoulder a nudge, “Maybe if you do well the first meeting I’ll tag along and keep you company during the other meetings.” 

Schlatt grinned at this, “Oh really?” 

Quackity nodded, “Mmh, really.” 

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Schlatt chuckled, “then that means I’ll have a good looking distraction during these stupid things.” 

Quackity flushed again, clearing his throat he decided to move on. Though he didn’t like the idea of attending meetings with his family, especially ones he felt would be boring as hell, if it helped Schlatt, he’d do it in a heartbeat. 

“So, what were you doing over here anyways? Did you get lost looking for the Great Hall?” He teased. 

“What? No,” Schlatt scoffed, shaking his head. “I was just-” he paused, glancing away for a second before looking back at Quackity, “-I was just getting familiar with the place. I didn’t really feel like eating.” 

“Uh huh,” Quackity nodded, knowing very well that that excuse wasn’t the case, but he decided not to ask about Schlatt’s true intentions.    
  
“Sure,” he muttered with a grin, “Well, any chance you’d want to get familiar with the place with me?” 

“Well, the place won’t be the only thing I’ll want to get familiar with” Schlatt flirted with a wink, “but yeah. I guess you can tag along.” He grinned and started walking again in the direction that he was previously walking in before Quackity had stopped him. 

Blinking, Quackity broke out into a grin, chuckling to himself before joining Schlatt’s side, walking alongside him. 

Now, he didn’t feel so scared about the new environment. He felt at ease and dare he say it, safe. 

“Soooo…” Quackity looked around, “where’s the kid?” 

For a second, Schlatt stopped in his tracks, but he quickly recovered and carried on, not looking at Quackity. 

“The kid?” Schlatt asked, trying to sound like he didn’t know what the other was asking. 

“Tubbo,” Quackity reminded, “your son…?”

“Oh!” Schlatt exclaimed before nodding and laughing nervously, “Yeah, uh, the little brat’s an early riser. I’m sure he’s with Connor or Charlie though,” he shrugged, “they usually take care of him.” 

“Right,” Quackity nodded slowly, examining Schlatt before turning his attention back to infront of them, “well, wherever he is, I can’t wait to meet him.” 

Schlatt glanced down at the shorter man, a little surprised about this, but he figured there really wasn’t anything he could do about it. He always knew that he’d eventually have to introduce the two to each other, but for whatever reason, some stupid part of him thought he could go through the entire Summit without having to do so. 

“Yeah…” Schlatt muttered, “...I’m sure he’s eager to meet you too.” 

Quackity looked up at Schlatt and grinned, maybe this Summit wouldn’t be so bad. 

\---

Dream wiped the sweat from his brow, catching his breath as the morning sun beat down on his neck and caught light in the sword in the knight’s hand. 

Like every morning, Dream was out practicing. It was routine for him to wake up early in the morning and run through several drills that way his skills and mind stayed sharp and fit enough to keep the title of ‘knight’. 

Sighing, he gripped his sword and went at the practice dummy again, pivoting his feet and thrusting his sword out in an advance. 

“Glad to see you’re still on top of your game.” 

Dream turned around, startled at first, but when he saw who it was he grinned, rolling his eyes fondly. 

“Mom…” 

Puffy smiled brightly, leaning across one of the pillars before she pushed herself off and entered the courtyard, walking over to her son. 

“A good morning would be nice,” she laughed, stopping a few feet away from him. Like her son, she too had just her armored boots and a piece of shoulder armor that covered most of her left arm. Unlike Dream though, she wore a red uniform while Dream’s was a pale green. 

“Good morning then,” Dream chuckled, dropping his sword to his side. 

“Good morning to you too, duckling!” She chirped, “I’d hug you, but you look like you smell.” she motioned to his sweaty figure. 

Dream lifted up his arm to smell before dropping it, “I don’t smell that bad!” 

“Well, whatever you say,” Puffy joked, holding up her hands in surrender, “but you might want to shower before you go and do anything else.” 

“Don’t worry, I plan to,” Dream assured with a smile. 

“How about a duel?” Puffy asked suddenly with a grin, hand on her sword, “A quick little training lesson with mom?” 

“Mom,” Dream warned, “you sure?”

“Pfftt, of course!” She exclaimed with a grin as she drew her sword, “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of losing.” She teased.

Dream held out his sword, leaning it against his mother’s, “You wish I was scared.” 

She laughed, “That’s the attitude!” 

Dream grinned before making the first move, advancing forward with his sword forward in an attempt to catch his mom off guard. 

“Rude!” She grinned, parrying Dream with little difficulty, “Didn’t even salute beforehand! What kind of knight are you?”

“One that’s going to win!” Dream laughed. 

The two went at each other for five minutes, swords clashing and quips going back and forth as they danced around the courtyard, both of them determined to be the one who made it out on top. 

Puffy couldn’t stop smiling throughout it all. She had missed her son so much, had missed training him like she used to, and she was so proud at how far he’d come and how he continued the art of fencing even after leaving to the Redstone Kingdom. A part of her almost wanted to go easy on Dream to allow him the win, but that didn’t happen. 

“Once again, Mama wins!” Puffy declared after successfully disarming Dream, alluding to the past where she would often win their duels because of longer years of experience in the art. 

Dream huffed, hands up in the air, his eyes on the sword pointed at his chin, “Well, no fair,” he argued, “I was worn out from practicing!” 

Puffy laughed, lowering her sword, “No need to be a sore loser, duckling. Just admit that your mom is better.” 

“You wish,” Dream scoffed, grinning as he went to go pick up his sword, “I say we have a rematch later, after I’ve rested up a bit.” 

“Deal,” Puffy smiled, putting her sword back. “But if you lose again, don’t start crying.” 

“I won’t,” Dream smiled back, a determination all too familiar to Puffy in his green eyes. 

“Alright, c’mon,” she motioned him over, “since you’re so tired, as you claim, I think you should go visit your brother.” 

Dream peaked up at this, raising an eyebrow as he looked at his mom. 

“Foolish?” He questioned, walking over to her. 

“Who else?” She laughed, shaking her head. “Yes, Foolish. You don’t have any other brothers.” 

“Right,” Dream chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “But Foolish is still here? He didn’t move away like he said he would?”   
  
Puffy shook her head, “Sovereign Eret made him one of the head builders in the kingdom. They saw what your brother was capable of and asked him to stay and build for them.” 

“Oh,” Dream muttered, “well...that’s good then!” 

“Mmh,” Puffy nodded, “It’s nice to have some family around.” 

Foolish had been adopted by Puffy during the War of the Seasons after she found him abandoned in the aftermath of a village during her time as a knight during the war. Dream had been a young knight in training at the time, so while Puffy had been out fighting, Dream took care of Foolish. 

So, even though for the past couple years Dream and him had been separated, they had somewhat of a bond between them. Of course though, it had been years since Dream had seen his brother, and so he was both eager and anxious to see him again. 

“He’s here in the castle, actually,” Puffy informed, “though he has a house in the town, I asked him to stay for a few days in the knights quarters so that you would be able to see him.” 

Puffy and Dream headed back into the castle, exiting the courtyard and entering the stone hallways, Dream following after Puffy like the duckling he was often referred to as by his mother. 

She explained a few things to him as they walked and Dream listened. She told him about how Foolish had tried to be a knight after Dream left before deciding he was better at architecture than swinging a sword. She told him about how Eret had seen what Foolish was capable of and asked him to stay and work under them. Anything she could think of, she brought up.

Finally they arrived at the knights quarters, which was located outside of the castle, but still on castle grounds. There, Puffy led Dream up a flight of stairs before she came to what Dream assumed to be her room, as she opened it up with a key from her belt. 

“Foolish?” She called out while opening the door, “Your brother is here to see you.” 

Dream entered cautiously, looking around as his mom made her way into the room. 

From behind a desk popped up the golden face and emerald eyes of his brother, grinning widely at the mention of his brother.

“Dream!” He chirped, standing up to welcome his brother. 

“Uh, hello,” Dream smiled, watching as his brother stepped out of a wooden boat from behind the desk, nearly stumbling over it as he rushed over to give him a hug. 

He was still taller than his younger brother, Foolish’s head almost bonking Dream’s chin when he practically tackled Dream in a hug. Dream smiled, hugging him back with a simple pat atop the shawl wrapped around his head that looked an awful lot like a shark. 

“Wow,” Foolish chuckled, pulling away and stepping back to look up at his brother, “you got a lot taller from the last time I saw you.” 

“That’s exactly what I said!” Puffy exclaimed with a grin. 

Dream laughed, shrugging as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Well...I mean, clearly I’m not the only one who grew,” he dropped his hand and motioned to Foolish, “you grew a little too!”

Foolish grinned a little, “Aw, really? Y-you think so?”

Nodding, Dream smiled, “Of course! Last time I saw you, you were…” he pondered for a bit before holding up a hand below his shoulder, “Somewhere around here, I’d say.” 

“Huh,” Foolish muttered, looking at Dream’s hand with wide eyes, “I guess I have grown!” 

Dream dropped his hand and hummed, “Mmh, yeah. The only one who hasn’t grown is mom.” 

“Hey!” Puffy’s head snapped towards Dream as she gave him a light, playful slap on his arm while he wheezed with laughter, apologizing over and over again. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He laughed, holding his sides, afraid of what his mom was capable of. 

“You better be!” Puffy chuckled, looking more amused than upset, “You’re talking to the Captain of the Royal Guard here!”

Dream raised his hands in surrender, “Okay, okay, I yield! I yield!” There were tears in his eyes from laughing and his sides hurt from wheezing. “You win, you win!” 

Puffy beamed, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, “Damn right I do!” 

Foolish had just watched with an amused grin, though at first, he was afraid that Dream would face the wrath of their mother at the mention of her height. But if there was anything about their family, it was that they liked to have fun. 

“Well,” Puffy sighed, putting her hands on her hips, “now that that’s over, I think we all have some catching up to do.” 

“You sure you don’t have to be on patrol or anything?” Dream questioned, glancing back at the door with a small frown. 

She shook her head, “Hbomb has the morning shifts, so I can hang out with my two boys!” She walked over to each of them and did her best to put an arm around their shoulders, bringing their heads together. 

The two brothers just sighed, shaking their heads fondly at their mother while they smiled at each other. 

They had missed this. 

\---

The minute that Sapnap was done with his breakfast, he was out of that Great Hall. 

Well, actually, before he left he told Quackity to tell Bad that Sapnap was exploring if Bad ever asked about his son’s whereabouts. Of course, he didn’t give any specifics, but he knew his friend would be able to convince Bad that it wasn’t anything he needed to worry about. 

Plus, Sapnap was a free-range Prince. Or at least, he liked to think that he was. 

With a deep breath, Sapnap exited the castle grounds, a pep in his step, swinging his arms as he walked with a wide grin on his face into the town. 

Since it was still morning, there weren’t that many people out doing their things yet. Those that were out didn’t pay much attention to Sapnap though. They weren’t used to elementals like him in their kingdom, and the obsidian crown around his head gave them enough reason to know now to bother with him in fears of what would happen to them if they upset the Badlands’ King. 

“Shit,” Sapnap muttered halfway down the main road, his pace slowing as he glanced around the town. 

“Where did he say it was again?” He whispered to himself, coming to a full stop in the middle of the road as he tried to remember where his lover was currently residing. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and closed his fist before putting it to his forehead, as if that would somehow help his remembering process. His foot tapped as he muttered to himself, unable to recall where he was supposed to be headed. 

“Oh!” He suddenly exclaimed, eyes widening and his head snapping up in remembrance. “The library!” He laughed at his own forgetfulness, shaking his head. 

“Right, duh!” He smacked his forehead and started walking again, a pep in his step again, and a wide smile on his face. 

And then he realized he didn’t know where the library was. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, slowing to another stop. “I don’t live here,” he realized, glancing around and looking for a sign or something that would point him in the right direction. 

Frowning, Sapnap came up with nothing. None of the signs seemed to read ‘library’, and nothing around him looked remotely like said structure. 

“Dammit,” He whispered. “Maybe I can ask someone for directions…?”

He glanced around and spotted a deer hybrid standing not too far away from him. Sapnap grinned and hurried over to ask the gentleman for directions, too excited to get to the library to really care whether or not it was a bad idea to talk to a stranger in foreign land. 

“Hey, uh, excuse me?” Sapnap cleared his throat, coming up from behind the hybrid. When the man didn’t react, Sapnap coughed, reaching out and tapping the man’s shoulder. 

“Uh, hello?”

At this, the hybrid turned around, facing Sapnap with a surprised look of confusion underneath the blue shawl that covered most of his forehead, two antlers protruding from the top of it. 

Sapnap blinked before swallowing and nervously smiling at the hybrid, “Uh, y-yeah, hi! Do you know, uh-” he cleared his throat, “-do you know where I can find the library?” 

The hybrid pondered the question for a second before smiling softly and nodding in response. 

Sapnap sighed in relief, grateful that he had chosen someone who seemed like they would be helpful enough towards his endeavor. “Oh thank goodness…” he muttered, “I really needed the help.” 

He waited for a response, thinking that the hybrid would say “no problem”, or something along the lines, but instead the hybrid kept smiling, nodding instead of saying anything. 

Sapnap thought it was strange, but Bad had taught him to be kind to people, Skeppy had done the opposite, so he did the same as the hybrid and didn’t say anything. 

He waited patiently before the hybrid began to sign to him. Sapnap couldn’t understand what the hand signs meant at all, but he understood the point of a finger towards another road leading away from the main road. 

“Over there?” Sapnap questioned, gazing out past the hybrid’s finger. 

He nodded in response. 

“Gotcha,” Sapnap nodded, that was all the confirmation he needed. He looked back at the hybrid and smiled widely, “Thanks!” 

Again, the hybrid simply smiled before continuing on his way, leaving Sapnap to continue on his journey, this time the Prince took off in a sprint, way too eager now. 

It was a quick jog, and Sapnap’s breakfast churned in his stomach, but when he spotted the sign that read ‘Library’, he was far too excited to really care about potentially throwing up toast. 

He ran up the road leading towards the library’s entrance with an eager grin, but before he could burst through the door, he skidded to a stop, nearly running face forward into the oak planks of the entrance. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure sitting underneath a nearby pine tree with a quill and book in hand. 

It was Karl. 

Sapnap grinned and slowly pulled away from the entrance, getting the genius idea to sneak up onto the unsuspecting human. 

He slowly backed away, making sure to stay out of Karl’s line of sight as he quietly and carefully inched towards him in a low crouch, unable to contain his anticipating grin. 

Now merely a foot away from Karl, sneaking up from behind, Sapnap made the last stretch after loudly stepping on a pinecone, making Karl snap his head around just in time to see Sapnap landing at him with extended arms.

“Karl!” Sapnap exclaimed while the other just screamed. 

Unfortunately, Sapnap didn’t think his approach through, and instead of tackling Karl in a hug like he wanted to, he missed him completely and opted for rolling halfway down the hill before coming to a stop thanks to his face. 

“Oh my god, Sapnap…” Karl muttered, putting his book and quill down to run over to Sapnap who was currently lying face down in the field’s grass. He knelt down next to him, putting a hand on the Prince’s back as he looked over him with a worried frown, “Are you okay??” 

Sapnap’s ears were burning red in embarrassment as he slowly and reluctantly rolled back around so that his face was no longer kissing dirt. He just knew that his face was as red as his ears from the blush and from skidding across grass and dirt. This was just great. 

Karl looked down at him and frowned, seeing his red face, “Oh my god, are you okay Sapnap?? Talk to me!”

Sapnap laughed and wiped his face, shaking his head as he slowly sat up. “I’m okay, I’m okay. Stop being so worried,” he teased with a grin. 

“You’re okay?” Karl questioned. 

“Mmh,” Sapnap nodded. 

“Okay, perfect,” Karl muttered before completely lashing out, “SO. WHAT. THE. HONK? WHY DID YOU TRY AND SCARE ME??” he hit Sapnap’s arm with his book after every word.

“Ow! Hey! What?” Sapnap exclaimed, trying to shield himself from Karl’s book, but to no avail. Karl continued to smack him with the leather book, shouting questions as he did so, up until Sapnap managed to grab Karl’s wrist and stop him with a kiss. 

That seemed to work, as Karl stopped hitting him and dropped the book to kiss back, cupping the Prince’s face instead with his hand.

“Okay, there,” Sapnap muttered, pulling away with a grin, “was that a better greeting?” 

“Yes,” Karl hummed in satisfaction, “thank you.” 

Sapnap rolled his eyes fondly as he let go of Karl’s wrist, but the other didn’t let go of his face. Instead he held it gently, brushing off blades of grass as he seemingly studied it as he held it in his hands. 

“What are you doing?” Sapnap asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as he glanced around nervously, afraid of what Karl would do. 

“I’m looking at you,” Karl answered, “I haven’t seen your face for months and the first thing you do is wreck it like a nimrod.” 

Sapnap snorted in amusement at this comment, “What? Is my face no longer beautiful enough for you?” 

“Mmmh, maybe,” Karl teased. 

“What?” Sapnap mocked being hurt, pouting and putting a hand to his chest. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Karl laughed before attacking his face with kisses to prove a point, saying ‘mwah’! after every kiss until Sapnap was laying on his back, laughing and Karl was on top of him with a wide grin. 

“Okay, okay, you’ve proved your point,” Sapnap laughed, pushing him off and raising his hands up to fix the crown on his head, praying it hadn’t gotten damaged from his epic fall, though it probably did. “I’m glad I’m still beautiful.” 

“You’re dang right,” Karl smiled, poking Sapnap’s cheek before laying down next to him in the field. 

Sapnap snickered, his heart so full with love for the bard he hadn’t seen for months. 

Karl hummed happily and snuggled up to Sapnap, wrapping his arms around the Prince’s, burying his face into his shoulder, “I’m so happy you’re here…” 

Sapnap reached over with his free hand and ran a hand through Karl’s fluffy chocolate brown hair, “I’m happy too...I missed you so much.” 

Pulling away to look up at Sapnap, Karl grinned, “Oh did you?”

“Of course I did,” Sapnap nodded. He played with his hair for a bit, the two of them just looking at each other, before they both turned their gazes up to the blue sky instead. 

They laid in silence, enjoying each other’s company and gentle touches, for it had been too long for the two of them since the last time they were able to do this. 

Karl was a traveling bard. He went from Kingdom to Kingdom whenever the Royal Families needed some form of entertainment for parties or ballroom dances. Everyone knew who Karl was, the lively bard with a lovely voice and imaginative way of telling stories. 

This was how he and Sapnap met. With Karl attending one of Bad’s parties as a bard and catching the young Prince’s attention with his voice. 

After that night, they became good friends before becoming secret lovers, Sapnap too afraid to let his parents know that the one he loved wasn’t of royal blood. But the two didn’t seem to be too bothered, happy with their relationship, as Sapnap promised to never marry anyone other than Karl. Because he was going to marry him. One day he was. 

“Are you going to be at the ball tomorrow?” Karl asked, pulling Sapnap out of his thoughts. 

“There’s a ball tomorrow?” Sapnap questioned aloud, having no idea that there was going to be a ball of any sorts. If anything, he was just here because Bad and his friends were. It wasn’t like he knew what was actually going on during the Summit. He just wanted to be with Karl again. 

“Yeah, silly,” Karl snickered, “Sovereign Eret didn’t tell you?”

“Well, no…” Sapnap muttered. 

Karl chuckled, shaking his head lightly, “They’ll probably mention it eventually...Guess I spoiled it for you.” 

“Guess you did…” 

“So will you be there?”   
  
“Will you?”   
  
“Duh!” 

“Then I’ll be there too.” 

And with that, the two lovers smiled, sharing a simple thought before turning back to the endless blue sky with happy sighs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, that was a long chapter. 
> 
> The next one will be similar in the sense of characters meeting for the first time, so if you enjoyed these interactions you'll enjoy the next chapter! But thank you for reading thus far, I really do appreciate it!


	5. First Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy sets out to find Wilbur and finds a few new friends along the way.

The moment Techno’s back was turned, Tommy took off down the hallway that they had just traveled down. 

His parents had already been shown to their room and told Techno to watch Tommy while they got settled in. Neither brother wanted to do that, Techno wanting to reset, and Tommy wanted Wilbur instead, but they listened and went quietly with the guards to their room. 

Tommy caught a glance of the room, it was huge, probably bigger than his own room back at home, but Tommy could really care less. He didn’t really want to share the room with Techno anyways, not if Wilbur wasn’t going to be there to sing songs before bed. No way. 

So, the moment Techno’s attention went off of Tommy’s and to the guards to engage in conversation with questions about the methods of cleaning they used before their arrival, Tommy took off. 

He held his circlet as he ran, his cape flowing behind him as he ran, not wanting the guards or Techno to catch up to him. Glancing back, he saw that they weren’t and grinned triumphantly before he faced forward again and picked up his pace a little more. 

If he was completely honest with himself, he wasn’t sure where he was going. He told himself he knew where the exit of the castle was so that he could go and find Wilbur in the town, but after five minutes, he realized that he did not know where he was going as much as he thought he was. 

“Wait a minute,” he muttered, slowing to a stop in the middle of a hallway he didn’t recognize. 

Well, to be fair, all the hallways looked the same to him. Made out of stone, lined with colorful banners, and lit with faint shining glowstone on the ceilings. He just couldn’t remember if he had seen this particular hallway in their tour to the rooms they were going to be staying in. 

The young prince didn’t feel like asking any of the knights patrolling the hallways either. He didn’t feel like they deserved to know that he was lost, because he totally wasn’t. Plus, he didn’t like the looks they were giving him. Everyone he has passed looked at him in confusion before quickly looking away once they got a better look at him. 

“That’s right!” Tommy nodded to himself, “They should be afraid!” 

He was talking to nobody in particular, the hallway empty, but he had come to the conclusion that the knights he’d passed were just a bunch of pussies who couldn’t handle how cool he looked. 

He grinned and held his head up high, walking with confidence, despite the fact that he was very lost and too afraid to ask for questions. All he wanted to do was find Wilbur again, but he didn’t think it would be this difficult. 

The young prince walked for a few more minutes before his nose caught a whiff of something amazing. He stopped head in his tracks and slowly turned his head, blinking as he tried to figure out where that sweet smell was coming from. 

It was a warm scent, something that smelled like bread, but much sweeter. His mouth started to water and his stomach growled, causing him to flinch and glance down at his stomach in surprise. Was he still hungry? 

He licked his lips and slowly started to walk towards the smell, his nose twitching in delight the stronger the smell got. 

The smell led him around the corner to a large room that looked to be like a dining hall. Tommy poked his head out from behind the giant oak doors, glancing around the room to see what or who was inside. There were a few people inside from what Tommy could see, but they were all cleaning up the tables, taking plates, and wiping down the tables, so Tommy didn’t think they were much of a threat. 

He waited till the coast was clear before he stepped out from behind the door and into the large room. Tommy stuck to the left wall, slowly inching towards a door on the far end of the room where he was sure the smell was coming from. 

Nobody was looking his way, so Tommy broke out in a sprint towards the door. He grabbed the handle and pushed it open before closing it and sliding down the door with a loud sigh of relief. 

“That was a close one,” he muttered, fixing his circlet. 

Tommy lowered his hands and slowly stood up before he froze when his eyes met someone else’s. 

Staring back at him was a small boy, who looked to be about Tommy’s age, with an arm full of different pastries and bread, his eyes wide as he held up a half-chewed on a cookie to his mouth. 

Neither of them said a word, both of them staring at each other in shock because they hadn’t expected this at all. 

Finally, Tommy decided to say something. He pointed and made a face, asking, “Who are you?” 

The shorter boy frowned and wiped the crumbs off of his face with the back of his hand that had been holding up the cookie. “Tubbo,” he muttered, his eyes not leaving Tommy. 

“Tubbo,” Tommy mumbled, “That’s a weird name.” 

“No, it’s not,” The other boy snapped, sounding offended. 

“Yeah, it is,” Tommy nodded, folding his arms, “it sounds dumb.”

“Yeah, well what’s your name?” The boy, Tubbo, asked, narrowing his eyes at Tommy as his cheeks puffed out in frustration. 

“Thesus,” Tommy beamed, proud of how much cooler than ‘Tubbo’. “My real name is Thesus, but everyone calls me Tommy, which is much better than ‘Tubbo’.” 

Tubbo pouted, “You’re lying. Nobody’s named The-The-” he hesitated, having trouble, “Nobody’s named  _ that _ !” 

“Well,  _ I  _ am,” Tommy smirked, pointing a finger at himself as the tension from earlier started to leave his shoulders. He didn’t expect to run into someone like Tubbo, but he was having a little fun with the boy anyway, so he didn’t mind. 

Tubbo didn’t say anything, making Tommy grin even more in success. He could tell that this boy wasn’t someone who liked to be in these kinds of situations from how his ear was twitching nervously. 

Tommy then blinked, realizing that the boy had fluffy ears that didn’t look like his own slightly pointed ones. He brought a hand up to his own ear while he pointed at Tubbo, 

“You look funny too.” 

Tubbo blinked in confusion and before Tommy knew it, the other boy was crying. 

The wailing put Tommy in shock and he started to panic, glancing around nervously before he ran over to the boy and tried to shush him. He didn’t want to get caught wandering the castle unsupervised and he didn’t want to get into trouble for making Tubbo cry either. 

“No, no!” Tommy whispered, waving his hands in Tubbo’s face, “Shhh! Don’t cry! I-I didn’t mean it!” He frowned, his heart racing as the cries kept coming. 

“Y-You’re so meaaaaann,” Tubbo wailed between sniffles and coughs, tears getting all over the pastries that he was holding in his arm. 

“I didn’t mean it!” Tommy insisted, throwing his hands in the air. 

“You diiiiid!” Tubbo cried, hiccupping now. 

Tommy looked around again, panicking even more because now he could hear footsteps headed their way. 

“If I be your friend, will you be quiet?” Tommy asked, desperate at this point. 

Immediately, Tubbo went quiet, his cries ceasing as he looked at Tommy with a bright smile. “Okay!” 

Tommy sighed in relief, glad that that was over. “Okay, good,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You nearly gave me a heart attack with how much you were crying,” he shot a small glare at the boy, only feeling a little guilty about it. 

“Good,” Tubbo muttered, smirking smugly before he finished off the cookie in his hand. 

Tommy was about to ask him where he’d gotten that cookie when a woman’s voice behind them snapped both their heads towards the hallway that was connected to the small room. 

“What are you two doing in here?!”   


Standing in the hallway were two people. A woman and another boy who was peaking out from behind the woman. 

The woman’s dyed hair was pushed back and from her outfit, they could tell that she was the baker. She wore a light brown dress with a white apron smeared with flour and orange marmalade on the front, giving the two young princes a look that made them freeze up. 

However, Tommy recognized the boy to be Ranboo and broke out into a smile. 

“Ranboo! My friend!” He shouted, shivering off the chills that the woman was giving him with her accusing glare. 

“H-Hi Prince Tommy,” The tall enderling squeaked, waving from behind the woman, who Tommy guessed was his sister.

Wait, Tommy thought, Wilbur went with Ranboo, so if Ranboo was here did that mean-

“Ranboo, is this the Tommy you were talking about?” the woman asked, turning to the other. 

Ranboo glanced between them before nodding, “Y-yeah, it is...I don’t know who the other one is though…” 

The woman frowned and looked back at the two boys. From the circlets around their heads and their rather regal clothing, she could tell that the two of them were princes. She didn’t know what they were doing in the kitchen, unsupervised, but she knew that they weren’t supposed to be there. Especially when she was busy trying to make sure everything was going to be ready for the next day. 

“Alright, Princes or not, you two aren’t allowed in here.” Niki scolded, making the two boys frown and look down in slight shame, though Tommy was biting back at making a comment. “You shouldn’t be in here and you shouldn’t be taking things that aren’t yours either.” She motioned to all the baked goods Tubbo was carrying. 

“Sorry,” the prince muttered, looking down in a frown. 

“You can keep those ones, but no more coming back and taking the treats. These are for later,” she walked on over and gently put a hand on their shoulders, turning them around to face the door Tommy had entered through minutes ago. 

She leaned over and opened the door before making the ‘shooing’ motion at them while Ranboo awkwardly watched from the hallway. 

Reluctantly, the two princes listened to her and walked through the door and out into the Great Hall dining room. 

“Now, don’t go getting into any more trouble, okay?” The woman lectured, shaking a finger at them with one hand on her hip, “And stay out of the kitchen.” She reached for the doorknob and closed the door, leaving the two princes alone. 

“Well, that sucks,” Tommy pouted, folding his arms. 

“Yeah,” Tubbo muttered before picking out a pastry from his collection and taking a large bite out of it. 

Tommy looked over at him and frowned, “We got caught because you were crying.” 

“No-mf, we-f didn’t,” Tubbo argued, mouth full of bread, “if you weren’t so-mmf mean,” he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before swallowing, “if you weren’t so mean, then we wouldn’t have gotten caught.” 

Tommy, unsure how to respond, just rolled his eyes instead and looked away. Did he really have to be friends with him? He figured that he did because he promised that he would and he had forgotten to cross his fingers, so that made it final. 

“What were you doing in there anyway?” Tubbo asked, glancing over at Tommy who was currently staring at the door, trying to see if he could get it open with his mind. 

“I smelled something yummy,” Tommy explained, looking away, “so I followed the smell here, but then you already beat me to all the treats.” he pointed at the pastries in Tubbo’s arm. 

Tubbo looked down on the baked goods and frowned a bit, “Oh…” he paused before looking up at him, “Do you want some?” 

“Psh, no,” Tommy scoffed, folding his arms, “I’m big enough to get them on my own! I don’t need yours!” 

“Well, okay then,” Tubbo muttered, taking another bite from his pastry. 

Tommy glanced over at Tubbo for a second before looking away. There was no way that he was going to give in and ask for one. Plus! Who was Ranboo to deny him cookies? Sure, he was taller than him, but that was it! Sulking, Tommy turned around and slid down the side of the wall next to the door, folding his arms and pouting. 

“I’m going to sit here and wait until Ranboo realizes that he should let me in.”

Tubbo watched him, frowning slightly before he shrugged and joined Tommy on the floor, crossing his legs and humming contently as he took another bite of his pastry. He kept quiet, nibbling on the piece of bread while Tommy muttered under his breath next to him. 

Tommy was a strange boy, but Tubbo thought he was funny. He was glad he had a friend now though. Now he wouldn’t have to hang around Charlie and Connor so much. Not that he didn’t enjoy their company, but it was hard to get them to want to do all the fun things Tubbo wanted to do. 

Tubbo glanced over at him before picking out a cookie and holding it out to Tommy. He knew the boy had previously said that he didn’t want Tubbo’s food, but he kept glancing over as Tubbo ate. So, being the nice kid that Tubbo was, he decided to offer once again. 

“Huh?” Tommy muttered, looking down at the cookie. He frowned, staring at it for a second before he grabbed it and took a bite out of it. He chewed a bit before wiping his mouth and muttering, “Thanks…” 

“You’re welcome!” Tubbo chirped, picking out another snack for himself. He took a bite before looking over at Tommy, smiling as he asked, “Do you live here?” 

Tommy blinked in confusion before shaking his head, “No. I came here with my family.” 

“Oh,” Tubbo nodded, “I did too!” 

“Huh, then you’re a Prince too, huh?” Tommy decided, taking another bite of his cookie, “Well, I bet my kingdom is better than yours.”

At this, Tubbo narrowed his eyes and huffed, “No! Mine is!” 

The two went at this for the next few minutes, each of them trying to prove their point as to why their kingdom was better than the other despite neither of them knowing very much about their kingdoms politically wise. 

“Yeah, well in my kingdom I have a cow!” 

“So? I have bees in my garden!” 

They kept arguing until the door opened again and both of them scrambled up in a hurry, startled by the fact. Tommy’s eyes widened and Tubbo dropped a few cookies in the process. 

Standing in the doorway, and taking up most of the frame lengthwise, was Ranboo, looking back at them with wide eyes and his thin tail swishing behind him slowly. 

There was no sign of the woman, so the two Princes relaxed a bit and didn’t take off running in fear of being lectured again. Tommy relaxed, happy to see a familiar face, while Tubbo looked up at the other boy, confusion etched on his face. 

“Ranboo!” Tommy exclaimed, “My friend!” 

“Tommy, what are you still doing here?” Ranboo asked, frowning a bit. He glanced back into the room as if making sure that his sister wasn’t around. “Niki told you to go…”

“Niki isn’t the boss of me,” Tommy declared, folding his arms proudly, “She’s not  _ my  _ sister.” 

“Hi, I’m Tubbo!” Tubbo suddenly shouted, causing the other two to flinch at the sudden loudness. He stuck out his hand for Ranboo to shake it, the rest of his pastries and cookies falling out of his arms.

Ranboo frowned, staring at the hand before hesitantly shaking it slowly, flinching only slightly when Tubbo squeezed a lot harder than he expected. 

“Oh, uh, I’m R-Ranboo-” Ranboo quietly introduced. 

“Okay, Ranboo,” Tubbo grinned, pulling his hand back, “Wanna help Tommy and I get more cookies?” 

Tommy perked up at this possibility, looking between the two before looking back at Ranboo and nodding eagerly. “Yeah! You can distract the lady and Tubbo and I can get the cookies!” 

“The lady?” Ranboo blinked, tilting his head, “You mean my sister, Niki?” 

The two princes looked at each other before looking back at Ranboo with happy nods and wide grins. 

“What?” Ranboo sputtered before shaking his head and hands as he backed away from the two, his tail swishing nervously behind him, “N-no, no! I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

“C’moooon man!” Tubbo frowned, “It is a good idea!” 

“A great one!” Tommy added, “You should do it, or else you’re a baby.” he folded his arms and smirked. 

Ranboo frowned, muttering, “C’mon man…” He sighed and shook his head, “No, I-I can’t. Niki would be mad and no one wants that. You two should go.” 

Tommy was about to open his mouth to call Ranboo a baby when he heard a woman call Ranboo from inside the kitchen, making all three of them stand up straight in alarm. 

“Ranboo! Where did you go?” 

Ranboo glanced back, recognizing the voice to be Niki’s, 

“Oh, um, just a minute!” 

He turned back to the two princes and tried to shoo them away while closing the door. “Please don’t steal anymore treats. My sister worked really hard on getting them ready for tomorrow.” 

Ranboo gave the both of them a small bow out of respect before completely closing the door and leaving the two Princes alone again. 

“Lame,” Tommy scoffed, narrowing his eyes at the door. 

“I dunno, I like him, he’s cool,” Tubbo commented, smiling over at Tommy. 

“Psh,” Tommy rolled his eyes, “I’m way cooler than him! I have two brothers and he only has a sister and that’s lame.” He stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry before he turned around all dramatic-like, just like how he’d seen Techno do every now and then. 

“Do you think we’ll see him again?” Tubbo questioned, following after Tommy with his hands behind his back and head tilted. 

“I hope not,” Tommy grumbled, slouching as he walked, “I wanna see Wilbur again.” 

Tubbo raised an eyebrow, “Who’s Wilbur?” 

Tommy looked over at Tubbo and grinned proudly, “He’s my brother!” 

“Oh…” Tubbo nodded, eyes widening, “That’s cool!”

“Hell yeah, he’s cool,” Tommy agreed, “But he’s not in the castle, so I’m going to find him in town.” 

“Can I come?” Tubbo asked, “I can help!” 

Tommy glanced at Tubbo, hesitating on what to say. On one hand, he didn’t want to bring Tubbo along, thinking he’d be dead weight. On the other hand, he didn’t really want to be a bad friend and leave Tubbo behind. Plus, he felt a little bad for the kid and he wanted to show his brother off, so he figured it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle for Tubbo to tag along. 

“Okay, fine, you can come.” Tommy decided with a shrug, “But you have to follow my directions, okay?” 

“Okay!” Tubbo saluted, just happy to hang around his new friend. 

“Good.” Tommy nodded with a grin, “Let’s go find Wilbur.” 

\---

For the next thirty minutes, neither Prince saw Wilbur. They didn’t even get remotely close to finding the Antarctic Prince, as they were immediately stopped by some knights at the entrance of the castle who made them turn around with the threats of calling their parents. 

Neither of them wanted that, so they scurried off, though Tommy was pretty pissed about it.    
  
“Those knights were a bunch of pussies,” he muttered. 

“What’s a pussy?” Tubbo questioned, frowning at the fact that Tommy was upset. 

“I dunno,” Tommy admitted with a shrug, “I suppose it’s an insult. I heard Wilbur use it before and it sounded cool, so I use it too. Though, Mum doesn’t like when I do that.” 

Tubbo blinked in surprise before asking, “You have a mum?” 

Tommy stopped to look at Tubbo in confusion. “Uh, yeah?” He answered, like it was obvious, “Don’t you?” 

This seemed to throw Tubbo into a little panic. He quickly closed his mouth to prevent himself from saying anything as he glanced around, his ear twitching nervously. He didn’t want Tommy to think he was weird or something for not having a mother. He’d just met him! He didn’t want to lose his friend already. But he figured that he shouldn’t lie either. Even if his dad said it was okay to lie from time to time, Tubbo didn’t like doing it. 

The Manburg prince frowned and looked down at his hands before slowly shaking his head. 

“No,” he answered in a quiet voice, “I-I don’t.” 

“Oh,” Tommy muttered, feeling a little bad for him. Tommy himself loved his mother, she was so nice to him and was always there for him, so he couldn’t imagine not having a mother. He guessed that he should be a nicer friend to Tubbo now. 

“I have a dad though!” Tubbo quickly said, his head snapping back up. “He’s here in the castle! He’s really cool! And tall!” He stood up on tippy toes and held out his hand as if to further prove his point. 

Tommy looked up before looking away and grinning, “I’m sure he’s not taller than my brothers though!” He only didn’t mention his own dad because, for one, both of his brothers were much taller than his father. 

“I bet he is!” Tubbo insisted, getting back on his feet and dropping his hand with a grin. 

Tommy narrowed his eyes a bit at Tubbo, not believing it. His brothers were really tall, like really tall. Or at least, to Tommy they were very tall. There was no way that Tubbo’s dad was taller than them because Tubbo himself was pretty short. Tommy could practically look forward and just see the tips of the small nubs of horns that were coming out of Tubbo’s curly brown hair. 

Speaking of such, Tommy was looking past the Prince and spotted two figures coming their way. From where Tommy was, he couldn’t see their faces yet, but he could tell that neither of them were knights, as they weren’t wearing any armor, nor were they walking in any kind of formation. 

“Tubbo, there’s people coming,” Tommy muttered, tossing his head over, fearing that it was Niki who came to avenge her cookies and cakes. 

Tubbo could hear the fear in Tommy’s voice and he quickly spun around, ready to run if necessary with eyes wide. However, there was no need, as Tubbo immediately recognized one of the figures and took off running right towards them. 

“Dad!” He exclaimed, before colliding, head first, into the taller figure with his arms outstretched. 

There was a loud ‘oof!’ followed by the loud sound of Tubbo colliding with the figure, sending the two of them stumbling a few feet back from the impact. 

“Fucking hell!” The figure groaned, “Tubbo!” 

Tommy frowned, unsure what to do in the moment, as the voice sounded rather mad. But since Tubbo had exclaimed, “Dad” and Tommy wanted to see if Tubbo’s dad was as tall as he’d claimed, he decided to slowly walk over with little to no caution. 

“Dad!” Tubbo grinned, looking up at his dad with a wide smile. 

Schlatt looked down with a frown, sighing in frustration before he pried Tubbo off of him, pushing him away as he winced in pain, his free hand holding his side. “Yeah, uh, hi there buddy,” he muttered, glancing over at the other figure with a glare. 

“What are you doing here?” Tubbo questioned, not minding at all when his dad pushed him away. 

“What am I-?” Schlatt sputtered before shaking his head, “No, what are you doing here?” He pointed with a frown, “I thought you were with Charlie and Connor!” 

Tubbo frowned, looking a little guilty, “Well, I was, but then they lost me because I went into the kitchen to get cookies.” 

Schlatt looked at his son in disbelief before putting a hand over his eyes and groaning softly. “Tubbo, you’re supposed to  _ stay  _ with them! You can’t be alone!” 

“I’m not alone!” Tubbo insisted with a grin, “I have Tommy now!” 

“Tommy?” Schlatt questioned, lowering his hand and looking past his son to see the slowly approaching blonde. “Oh no…” he muttered, frowning before he looked back at Tubbo, “Tubbo, another kid doesn’t count. You need an adult!” 

“Hey!” Tommy shouted, joining Tubbo’s side, “I’m a big man! I can look after Tubbo and myself! We don’t need an adult!” 

“Oh great,” Schlatt muttered before shaking his head, “you’re Wilbur’s brother aren’t you?” 

Tommy’s eyes widened in surprise, “You know Wilbur?!” 

“Of course I know Wilbur!” Schlatt scoffed, grinning a bit, “We’re close friends!” 

“Not too close, I hope,” the other man chuckled, lightly punching Schlatt in the shoulder. 

“Oh no, ew,” Schlatt shook his head, “He has a wife and I have standards.” 

“Ah,” The other nodded, grinning slyly, “I’m glad I meet your standards then.” 

Tubbo and Tommy both looked at the other figure in confusion, noticing him for the first time. Neither of them had seen the man before, someone who was clearly royalty, with the amount of gold he was wearing. Oh, and the wirey circlet around his cap also gave it away. 

“Who’s this?” Tubbo asked, frowning as he pointed at the man. 

Schlatt looked back before sighing, wishing that this happened in better circumstances, but he guessed he was just going to have to work with what was given to him.    
  
“Tubbo, this is Quackity,” Schlatt introduced, “he’s the man I was writing letters too.” 

The man, Quackity, smiled and waved at Tubbo before walking over to him and kneeling down so that the two were seeing eye to eye. 

“Hello, Tubbo!” Quackity chirped, looking rather friendly, “It’s nice to finally meet you, kiddo!” He held out a hand of greeting. 

Tubbo looked at the hand with a frown, not really sure if he wanted to shake it or not. He stared at it for a bit before he turned back to his dad with his hands on his hips, “Is he going to be my mom?” 

Both men’s eyes widened at this and if Schlatt had been drinking something, he would’ve certainly spit it out. Quackity went into a laughing fit, ducking his head and dropping his head as he snickered while Schlatt looked at Tubbo in pure shock and embarrassment. 

“What kind of question is that?!” Schlatt exclaimed, waving his hands at him, “This is an introduction kid! Not an initiation!” 

Tubbo had no idea what that meant, but he frowned and turned back to the wheezing duck hybrid, upset that he didn’t get an answer to his question. After Tommy’s comment about his mom, Tubbo realized he wanted one too. He wasn’t too sure if he wanted it to be this man though. 

“Tubbo, boys can’t be moms,” Tommy reminded, looking at his friend in confusion. 

Quackity got up, wiping a tear. “I’m afraid Thomas is right,” he shook his head and sighed happily, catching his breath, “but that question can be answered later.” he glanced back at Schlatt who just rolled his eyes and looked away. 

“For now though,” Quackity turned his gaze back towards the younger Prince, “we can be friends. That sound good?”

Two friends in one day? 

Tubbo grinned and nodded, looking up at Quackity. “Yup! That sounds good!” He confirmed. 

“Awesome!” Quackity cheered, putting a hand on top of Tubbo’s hair and ruffling it gently, “Thanks Turbo,” he paused before removing his hand, “can I call you that?” 

Tubbo shrugged, feeling rather indifferent to it. Honestly, he didn’t mind, so long as he had a new friend. 

Quackity smiled at his response, giving a short nod, “Turbo it is.” 

“Hey, hey, wait!” Tommy exclaimed, stepping between them and holding his hands up, “You can’t be Tubbo’s friend because  _ I’m  _ already Tubbo’s friend!” 

“It’s okay!” Tubbo smiled, “I can have two friends!” 

“Yeah,” Quackity nodded, “it’s alright to have more than one friend.” 

Tommy frowned, glancing between them. He didn’t agree with them, but it was two against one and he didn’t feel like asking Tubbo’s dad for help. 

“Fine!” He huffed, “But Tubbo was my friend first!” He grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled him closer to him as if to prove a point. 

Quackity chuckled and held up his hands in surrender, “Alright, alright, I’ve gotcha. So long as Tubbo lets me keep his dad,” he snaked an arm around Schlatt’s one and pulled him over like Tommy had done with Tubbo, making the other man grumble, “then you can have Tubbo as your best friend instead of just a friend.” 

“Deal,” Tommy nodded. 

“Are you really making a deal with two six-year-olds?” Schlatt questioned, raising an eyebrow at Quackity with a small smile of amusement. 

“Shut up,” Quackity muttered through gritted teeth, glancing at him, “I’m bonding.” 

Schlatt scoffed and shook his head, grinning softly. “Yeah, bonding…” he muttered. 

“Anyways, what are you two wandering around the castle alone?” Quackity asked, letting go of Schlatt’s arm. “Do you need some supervision?”

The two looked at each other before looking back at the adults and shaking their heads quickly as they slowly started to back away. They wanted to have their own fun, without some adult looking over them. Tommy wanted to find a way to find Wilbur and Tubbo wanted to help. They didn’t want any adults getting involved. 

“Uh, nope! We’re good!” Tubbo assured, smiling nervously. 

Quackity frowned a bit, “You...sure?”

“Hell yeah!” Tommy nodded, “we’re wild! We’re like wolves! Right Tubbo?” he looked over at his friend who nodded in agreement. 

Schlatt looked at the two, hesitating before he just shook his head and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want to seem like a bad dad in front of Quackity, though deep down he knew that he was, but at the same time, he could really care less about the kind of trouble that Tubbo and that Tommy kid would get into. If anything, he was just grateful that Tubbo seemed to have made a friend in Tommy. Maybe he wouldn’t be so alone now. 

“Alright, fine,” Schlatt sighed, “you two go have your fun or whatever, I’m not going to stop you.”

The two Princes’ eyes and smiles widened. 

“But if you get into trouble, I’m not responsible.” 

Quackity looked over at Schlatt and scoffed before turning to the other two and smiling. “I’m also not responsible, but you two be careful okay?” 

“Careful is my middle name!” Tommy proudly proclaimed before turning and motioning Tubbo to follow him. 

Tubbo smiled, waving at his dad and Quackity with a happy, “Goodbye!” before he and Tommy ran down the hallway with echoing laughter as they went to totally not get into trouble. 

Quackity shook his head, chuckling quietly to himself. 

“I’m not so sure that was a good idea,” Schlatt admitted under his breath as he let out a loud sigh. 

“Ah, maybe not,” Quackity agreed with a small shrug. “But they seem like tough enough kids. You sure Tommy isn’t yours too?” He looked over at Schlatt with a snicker. 

Schlatt raised an eyebrow, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“He reminded me of you,” Quackity explained, grinning. 

“Oh, fuck off,” Schlatt muttered with the roll of his eyes, “I don’t think I could handle more than Tubbo.” 

“You did well with Tubbo so far though,” Quackity complimented, looking down the now empty hallway, “He seems like a good, sweet kid.” 

“He is,” Schlatt mumbled, glancing away from the hallway. 

He didn’t want to say anything about how Quackity was wrong in Schlatt raising Tubbo that way. In reality, the kid was just naturally like that. Tubbo had a big heart and really, the only thing he inherited from Schlatt were the looks and the occasionally chaotic personality, but everything else Tubbo had brought himself. On top of that, Schlatt did fully agree about Tubbo being a good, sweet kid. He just didn’t want to fully admit that he felt so unworthy of such a kid, too scared he’d corrupt him in some way. Tubbo didn’t deserve that. 

Clearing his throat, Schlatt straightened his posture and turned back to Quackity, “Well, should we continue on?"

Quackity looked at Schlatt with a smile before extending a hand, “Lead the way,  _ guapito _ .” 

\---

From that time forward, neither Prince bothered going back to the kitchen to bother with baked goods. They tried once but caught a glimpse of Niki and they sprinted out of there in a flash and decided they would rather explore the castle instead. 

Tommy seemed to have forgotten his mission to find Wilbur, distracted by starting up playful arguments with Tubbo, genuinely enjoying having the company of someone his age. 

Back at his own castle, he didn’t have friends. He just had his brothers and a lot of the time, they were often too busy for him. His parents were preoccupied, Techno never wanted to hang around him, and though Wilbur spent the most time around Tommy, the young Prince wasn’t as stupid as he seemed. He knew that Wilbur was getting ready to move on and live with his family in this kingdom. As much as he hated the fact and tried to deny it, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he was completely alone. 

Of course, he did have Ranboo. But the two never seemed to get along as Tommy would often abuse his power as a prince to get Ranboo to do things that would get them into trouble. Like stealing cookies from the kitchen. And even if they did get along better, Ranboo was also busy training with the other scribes and would often use that as an excuse to avoid hanging around Tommy. So, having Tubbo around to mess with and talk to was a nice change for the young prince. 

“I think my castle is bigger than this one,” Tommy said aloud, his eyes scanning the ceiling as they hopped down the spiral stairs from the astronomy tower they were just exploring. 

“Dad said our castle was smaller, but I don’t believe him,” Tubbo huffed, running his hand along the golden railing.

They talked eagerly back and forth about their respective castles before wandering out into a courtyard decorated with peach trees and white flowers. The sun was bright, but neither of them seemed to mind it, absentmindedly walking over to a bench underneath one of the trees and taking a seat with Tommy on the right and Tubbo on the left. 

Tubbo swung his legs, tapping on his thighs as he happily watched a bee buzz past him, listening to Tommy ramble on about how cool their castle was because it was made up of ice. 

“But wouldn’t it melt?” Tubbo asked, turning his head to look at Tommy in confusion. 

“No,” Tommy shook his head, “it’s always cold where I live so we don’t have to worry about it melting.” 

“Oh,” Tubbo nodded in understanding. 

In Manburg, it was never that cold. Sure, the winter nights were crisper than others, but it never got cold enough to have an ice castle. He’d never seen snow, only really rain, so he couldn't imagine what kind of kingdom Tommy lived in. He loved the grass and warm, bright sun, so Tommy’s kingdom sounded like something he didn’t want to visit anytime soon. 

Tubbo hummed, turning his head to look around them. He could see into the hallways from the open windows and that was when he spotted the fluffy white hair of someone familiar. 

“Aunt Puffy!” Tubbo sprang up, his smile wide as he eagerly waved to his aunt from the bench. 

The woman stopped in her tracks and turned, her eyes squinting in confusion. “Tubbo?” She questioned, spotting a small figure standing on a bench waving at her. When she saw that it was indeed her nephew, she beamed and waved back, “Tubbo!” 

Tommy raised an eyebrow and turned around in confusion, startled by Tubbo’s sudden outburst. He raised a hand up to his eyes, scanning around for whoever Tubbo was calling out to. He spotted two figures, one short woman who was headed their way and the other was a taller man who was following loosely behind her. 

“What are you doing over here by yourself?” The woman asked, walking towards Tubbo with outstretched arms.   


“I’m not alone! I’ve got Tommy,” Tubbo motioned over to Tommy who just stared blankly at the woman, unsure what to do. 

“Oh, hello Tommy,” She looked over at the young prince and smiled, giving him a small wave. “I’m Puffy!” 

“She’s my aunt!” Tubbo added happily. 

“Huh,” Tommy muttered. He didn’t have an aunt, so he didn’t know what that meant, but the lady seemed friendly enough to him. 

“Who’s this?” Tubbo asked, pointing at the man standing next to Puffy with the slight tilt of his head. 

Puffy’s ears perked up and she grinned, turning around to gently pull the man over so that he was standing next to her. “Oh him?” She chuckled, patting the man’s shoulder, “This is my son, Dream!” 

The man, Dream, looked between the two before giving a small smile and a hesitant wave. “Uh, hello?” 

Tubbo smiled and waved, saying a happy, “Hi!” while Tommy glared and folded his arms, not really liking the man all that much. 

“That’s a funny name,” He muttered, “Why is your name Dream?” 

Dream gave a shrug, “It was the name I was given?” 

“Well, it’s dumb,” Tommy insisted, tilting his head. “Almost as dumb as your face.”

“This kid sure is something,” Dream chuckled nervously, looking at his mom while he pointed at Tommy, “What kingdom is he from?” 

“The Antarctic Empire!” Tommy answered proudly, “I’m a Prince!” 

“I’m sure you are,” Dream muttered, glancing back at Tommy. He had no intense feelings towards the Antarctic Empire, though there was one Prince that got on Dream’s nerves more often than not after he lost a fight to him during the Great War. Even if the hybrid had spared his life, he still was determined to one day beat him in a rematch of sorts. 

“Well, welcome to the SMP Kingdom,” Puffy smiled, putting a fist to her chest before bowing at Tommy. She tapped on Dream to do the same, the man sighing and rolling his eyes slightly as he imitated his mother.

“Thanks,” Tommy grinned, amused to see the two practical strangers bowing to him. It wasn’t often that adults bowed to him, normally they only did so to his parents or brothers, but never him, so he enjoyed it. 

“So, what have you two been up to anyways?” Puffy asked, straightening out her back, “Where is everyone?” 

“I left Connor and Charlie,” Tubbo admitted with a shrug. 

“Oh,” Puffy’s smile faltered, “What about your dad? What’s he been up to?” 

“Dunno,” Tubbo hummed, not at all bothered by the fact, “He was walking around with Quackity.”

“Oh god,” Dream muttered, rubbing his face with an amused look at the mention of the name. 

“Oh,” Puffy muttered before looking back at her son and then the two princes, eyes going wide. “Oh!” 

She laughed and shook her head, “Well, I think it’s better if you two hang out and not worry about that then-” she waved a hand in the air, “-But you haven’t been getting into trouble, have you?”

They hesitated, looking at each other before turning back and shaking their heads. 

“No ma’am!” Tubbo answered, putting on a convincing smile.

Puffy smiled at the two and gave a short nod. “That’s what I want to hear! Because as the head knight, I have to make sure that everyone is staying out of trouble. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your parents to know if you’ve been causing trouble, right?”

Both boys shook their heads, not liking the sound of that at all. 

Dream chuckled quietly to himself, finding it amusing that his mom was using the ‘motherly voice’ to talk to the two kids. He himself didn’t care much for either, in fact, Tommy was the kind of kid you’d want to punt into the nearest lake. Thankfully, his mom was there, so there was no child-punting to be done at the moment. 

“Perfect!” Puffy bleated, clapping her hands together. “So long as you guys stay out of trouble, we shouldn’t have much of a problem.” She walked over and ruffled Tubbo’s hair, making him giggle, before she backed away, waving at them. 

“Well, we’ll leave you two be now. Don’t have too much fun!” She winked before giving one final wave and turning around. Dream stayed for a second, giving a small salute before he turned on his heel and followed after his mom, relieved that she didn’t ask him to babysit either of them. 

“I like her,” Tubbo smiled, watching them go, “She’s nice.” 

“I think she’s too nice,” Tommy muttered, folding his arms as he watched Dream leave with his eyes narrowed. 

Tubbo looked over at his friend and frowned, “How can someone be too nice?” 

Tommy blinked, unsure how to answer the question before he gave up and shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Well, I like her,” Tubbo decided, sitting back down on the bench, “I’m glad she’s a part of my family.” 

Tommy scoffed and rolled his eyes before faking a yawn. “Laaaame!” He teased before hopping off the bench and standing up suddenly, “Let’s go find somewhere to build a secret base! Somewhere no one else will find us!” 

Tubbo grinned widely and jumped off the bench eagerly before nodding in agreement. “Yeah! Let’s do it!”

Tommy beamed before taking off down the courtyard, yelling behind him, “Race you!” 

“No fair!” Tubbo shouted before huffing and running after him, a wide smile on his face. 

The two princes laughed, running alongside each other, Tommy’s cloak flapping behind him like a cape, while Tubbo ran with a hand on his head to keep his crown in place. To Tubbo it beat hanging around Charlie and Connor and to Tommy it beat hanging around Technoblade. 

\---

Techoblade sighed to himself, shaking his head softly as he walked down the halls of the SMP castle, looking for Tommy. 

He hadn’t noticed that his brother had disappeared until after his conversation with the knights that brought him there, so he didn’t know how long Tommy had been missing since then. But however long it was, Techno was worried about the whereabouts of his brother. 

For one, he was in new territory. Previous enemy territory at that as well. So Techno didn’t feel comfortable with Tommy running around the castle, acting as a possible hostage the SMP Kingdom could capture and use against the Antarctic Empire. So he needed to find Tommy as soon as possible. 

“Tommy!” Techno called out, feeling rather embarrassed for doing so, despite nobody else being around. “Tommy! Where are you?” 

Techno also had to find him before their parents found out. He knew that their dad wouldn’t be too worried, but he didn’t want to upset his mom. They had put him in charge of watching Tommy and he’d failed. So it was his responsibility to find the boy. 

He asked any knights or maid hands that he came across if they’d seen a blonde-haired prince that was about six years old. Most of them said that they didn’t, and those that said they did and showed Techno where he went were usually wrong. He couldn’t find Tommy anywhere. 

“When I find that kid I’m going to tie him to a chair,” Techno muttered to himself as he walked down from the astronomy tower after someone telling him that he’d seen Tommy go up there with another kid. 

“Not only did he disobey and run off, he’s making  _ friends _ ,” Techno grumbled, shaking his head. 

He knew Tommy was just a kid and making a friend wasn’t terrible, considering that he was going to be alone most of the time while the rest of his family attended meetings, but at the same time, it meant that he was making friends with potential enemies, or ex-enemies. 

He didn’t know who the kid was, as he wasn’t in tune with the different Royal Families, but he knew that he didn’t like it. Didn’t like the idea of Tommy making friends with someone whose parent tried to wipe their kingdom off the map during the War of Seasons. He didn’t like it one bit. 

_ You better find him quickly. _

_ What if he gets hurt? _

_ Find Tommy, Find Tommy, Find Tommy. _

Techno rolled his eyes, glaring at no one in particular as he harshly whispered, “What do you think I’m doing?” 

He continued on his way, no sure where to go from here. He figured that he might go and try looking in the town, thinking that Tommy probably went to go look for Wilbur, but when he went up to the knights guarding the entrance, they informed Techno that they had turned him away. 

“Great,” Techno muttered, “that’s wonderful. Thank you.” He nodded at the two knights before he turned back around, now having no idea where to look. 

He didn’t want to seem like he was snooping around, and he sure as hell didn’t want to mention this to Eret and get everyone on Tommy’s case. But he was tired and just wanted to rest. Of course, Tommy had to go and mess up his plans. 

Techno took a right, figuring he would just circle around the castle again, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother that way. He walked, muttering to himself until he was met by another, smaller figure walking towards him. 

Right away, Techno noted that it wasn’t Tommy. The figure was taller than his brother, and after a few steps forward, Techno realized that the figure was a lot older too. He was male and a prince as well, from the looks at how he was dressed and the obvious sign of the crown around a blue cap he wore. 

Techno didn’t know which kingdom the man belonged to, but his best guess was the Redstone Kingdom, as he didn’t recognize the man at all. He figured that it would be alright to talk with the man, as the Redstone Kingdom didn’t anything too terrible to his own kingdom. Perhaps the man had seen Tommy or knew where he was. It wasn’t a bad idea to ask. 

However, when Techno got closer, the man’s steps seemed to slow. If the man hadn’t seen Techno coming his way before, he definitely did now. His eyes were wide and Techno noted that he was trying to keep his gaze down, avoiding Techno’s. Honestly, Techno was surprised that the man even kept walking towards him. From his body language, Techno would’ve expected the man to turn a heel and hurry away in the other direction. 

Techno didn’t blame him though. He knew that because of his size and status, he could be rather intimidating. His bloodlust was known throughout the kingdoms as many had seen how he fought in the wars, so that didn’t help his case either. Neither did the fact that as they got closer, Techno noticed how much smaller the man was in comparison to him or the average human male. Even if the man was a hybrid, from the duck wings sprouting from his back, he didn’t seem to have much height to him. 

They were a few feet away from each other now, the man was picking up his place now as if he wanted to rush past Techno. While Techno could care less, he felt like messing with the man and hopefully getting answers about Tommy, so he held out an arm before the man could pass him, stopping the other in his tracks. 

“Hey,” Techno turned his head to look at the man. 

The other flinched, visibly swallowing before he slowly looked up at Techno with a nervous smile. “H-hey-” he squeaked, waving as he took a step backward.

Techno lowered his arm and raised an eyebrow at the man, a slightly amused look on his face at the frightened state of the other. 

“I wanted to ask you a question,” Techno informed, one hand going to the hilt of his sword. 

The man’s eyes followed Techno’s hand to the sword and he made a small noise before he looked up and laughed nervously. “If the question is, ‘Is that a sword or are you just happy to see me?’ then the answer depends.” He winked, a nervous smile on his face. 

Techno blinked in confusion, used to fight or flight, not freeze and flirt. Shaking his head, Techno cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes a bit at the man. “No, that wasn’t my question.” He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I’m looking for my brother,” Techno explained, “Tommy. He’s a blond kid, about six. Really loud and annoying.” 

The other man blinked, his eyes widening. “Tommy?” 

“Yes, Tommy, or Theseus. His real name is Theseus but his nickname is Tommy.” Techno informed, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. The way the man had said Tommy’s name made it seem like he knew who he was talking about. 

“Tommy...Tommy…” the man muttered, stroking his chin before he snapped his fingers and grinned. “Tommy! Yeah!”

“You know who I’m talking about?” Techno questioned, narrowing his eyes at the man. 

“Yeah!” Quackity nodded, grinning now with less fear, “Are you his brother? He was looking for you, I think...Wilbur, right…?”

Techno shook his head, feeling offended by that. “No. Wilbur is my twin, I’m Techno.” 

“Ohoh,” The man chuckled, “Techno, huh? Well, I’m Quackity,” The man, Quackity, took a bold step towards Techno with a sly smirk on his face. 

Techno stared in confusion before he took a step back from the man. “Okay, whatever, I just need to know where Tommy is.” 

“Beats me,” Quackity shrugged, not seeming too bothered about Techno backing off. “I ran into him and Schlatt’s kid-”

“Wait, Schlatt’s kid?” Techno stopped him, holding a hand out, “He’s with Schlatt’s kid?” 

Quackity hesitated, smiling nervously, “Uh...yeah...You know Schlatt?” 

Techno frowned. He did indeed know who Schlatt was. During the Great War, he and Wilbur had done their fair share of hanging out and became close friends. However, Techno himself wasn’t too fond of the guy. If anything, he straight up didn’t like him, but what could he really do about it? 

Now hearing that Tommy was hanging around his kid though? That wasn’t good. 

“Yes, I know who Schlatt is,” Techno confirmed, “but now I have more of a reason to find Tommy. So where is he?” 

“I’m telling you, I don’t know where he is,” Quackity admitted, holding up his hands. “I was walking with Schlatt and the two kids ran into us. We chatted for a bit before Schlatt let them go run off on their own.” 

Techno groaned, rubbing his temples. “Of course Schlatt would do something like that,” he muttered. He looked over at Quackity and frowned, “Where is he anyway? He decide to go find the wine cellar?” 

Quackity narrowed his eyes just a little bit at this comment but for the most part, he ignored it. “If he did, he didn’t tell me. But we parted ways a few minutes ago. He decided to go look for his knights and I need to go bother my brother.” Quackity explained, “Since then though, I haven’t seen Tommy.” 

“Oh, that’s just perfect,” Techno grumbled, huffing as his foot tapped impatiently on the floor. 

“If you want, I can help you look for them,” Quackity offered, “I’m sure George would appreciate it if I did.” 

Techno held out a hand and shook his head, “No, it’s fine. I can do it myself.” 

Before Quackity could interject or say otherwise, Techno started walking again, waving behind him as he shouted over his shoulder, “Thanks for being useless though.” 

Quackity watched him leave with a look of confusion, his eyebrows knitted and lips in a frown.    
“Uh...yeah…” he muttered, “You’re welcome?” 

Techno sighed, still no closer to finding Tommy. But if one thing was for certain, he wanted to make sure he avoided this Quackity figure at all costs. There was just something off about him that Techno didn’t trust. 

“And just my luck...I’m stuck in the same castle as him for two weeks,” Techno muttered.

He took a deep breath before exhaling through his nose loudly, “Alright...Time to find Tommy…” 

**Author's Note:**

> Please keep in mind that this is an AU using the characters from the SMP and not the content creators themselves. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable or anything. It'll use events from the SMP and character dynamics but nothing has to do with the content creators themselves. Thanks!


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